


♞ To Kill A King ♞

by CheshireCatLife



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Attempted Murder, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkward Tension, Awkwardness, Background Character Death, Backstory, Battle, Birthday, Birthday Party, Bitterness, British Politics, Brutal Murder, Cleaning, Courtship, Dancing, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, England (Country), Family Issues, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Frustration, Heavy Angst, Kings & Queens, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) and Cleaning, M/M, Magic, Married Couple, Married Life, Murder, Murder Husbands, Murder Mystery, Murderers, No Smut, Politics, References to Macbeth, Romantic Fluff, Royalty, Sexual Tension, Soldiers, Team as Family, Tension, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Two Minds One Body, United Kingdom, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Tension, War, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-01-31 14:19:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12683622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireCatLife/pseuds/CheshireCatLife
Summary: ♞ 'Ethics play no part in politics' ~ Machiavelli, The PrinceErwin Smith doesn't believe in legends. Whispers of witches and evil are merely the sayings of those below him. But, when he is graced by a prophecy, he cannot help but burn with ambition. Spurred on by his husband, he is willing to push through anything in his way to rid his country of corruption and take his rightful place.At least, that's how he thinks it is.Inspired by Macbeth by Shakespeare ♞





	1. Appearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must add this warning here at the beginning: this story is in no way historically accurate and mixes up a lot of Scottish history with English as well as mixing up some earlier bits with later. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy

* * *

  _'Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.'_

* * *

 

**Unknown.**

**31st October, 1012 CE**

Witches were a legend only a few believed. Old hags with warted noses and nasally voices to some and young, desirable women in others. One a shadow of ugliness and another the radiation of beauty. Two so very different interpretations both meaning something so similar.

Witches, the incarnation of evil itself. Sent by the devil to play tricks on the mind and lead us temptations way. A witch, as well as many other things, was an alchemist. Potions, poisons and foul-tasting foods all made by the flourish of their hand.

A witch was power.

A witch was cruelty.

A witch was fate's hand.

They control what had come and what is to come thereafter. They control the motivations and causation of each and every action their puppet acts. And they laugh. They laugh with their crooked noses or their long flowing locks.

They laugh with their shadowed faces, hidden under cloaks.

And three look at the sky with ragged breaths, smiles twitching on their pale, cold lips. One tall, one small and one somewhere in-between. Their cloaks billow behind them but remain to cover their faces despite the strong winds.

'Where will we meet?' The middle one asks, her voice one of a child's.

'Scotland, that's where we shall meet Smith.' The smaller one replies, a strand of golden hair falling away from the face, pushed again the wind and not with it.

'And there, we will ruin him.' The tallest one grins and falls into the shadows, the murderous light shimmering in her eye.

-

**Somewhere in Northern England.**

**1st November, 1012 CE**

Erwin sheathed his sword with what could only be military precision, the gleaming metal dulling under the flickering candles of his bedroom. Their bedroom. Levi watched from the bed, his grey eyes sunken and tired. Or bored. Erwin could decipher which if he decided to stir up a conversation but there were yet any words that worth saying.

Erwin didn't speak if it wasn't worth speaking.

'You don't have to go, you know?' Levi muttered, his face shrouded by the curtain of black hair he shook down to avoid the piercing glare of the man opposite.

'I do, Levi. You know that.' Erwin tried to be diplomatic but the days worth of arguments weren't worth the pain.

'You say that but it's a lie and you know it. That shitty Prince is now king and you shouldn't have to fight for the dick-beard.' Ever since King Nile had taken up the throne and grown up to the solid age of twenty-five, he had begun to grow his- rather failing- beard and Levi had not resisted the temptation to create yet another slur aimed at him. It was exactly the real reason he could not fight.

King Nile has placed Levi on probation until he learnt to show some respect.

It hadn't done much, Levi was still his normal, crude self and was simply waiting for the moment he was allowed back on the field to give Nile a mouthful. No doubt, this probation would last longer than Levi expected.

'You can't call him that.'

'I can and I will.' Levi looked unimpressed, that halfway expression remaining on his face. He pushed himself off the bed anyway and approached Erwin with the scowl placed irrevocably on his face. The scowl only increased as he stood in front of Erwin only to see their incredible height difference in the mirror. If it were not for the startlingly contrasting looks, Levi could have been Erwin's child. In fact, he had even been mistaken as it on a few occasions.

'That's not going to help you get back on the battlefield.' Erwin sighed, trying to use reason to divert Levi from this inevitable path.

'But I shouldn't have been kicked off in the first place. Nile is as good a king as a pile of dog shit. He has no right to take one of the best soldiers from the legion.'

'You know that you got what you deserve.'

'You think I deserved that?' Levi raised a brow, willing to challenge Erwin. They had a pitiful amount of arguments, rarely pushing further than a few insults. Erwin was the perfect mediator until he started them himself.

'Levi, don't take your annoyance out on me. I know it's not why you're mad.' Erwin was ever the diplomat, never withholding the truth, he was an honest man and proud of being so- even if it meant for some rather brash and blunt comments.

Erwin was a master of deception and charisma but when it came to those he trusted, he was as honest as he could be in his position. A nobleman, impossibly close to the King for his position but favoured for his futuristic strategic techniques and ability to trick the enemy into anything they wanted. Erwin could bend anyone's will to his wants and it had never saved Levi from the constant unease that he was being tricked.

It had taken years for Levi to understand that Erwin trusted him with his life, just as Levi trusted him. Honesty was front and foremost in their relationship and if not with anyone else, they were candid with each other.

'It's not but I have to vent these shitty feelings somewhere.' Levi scowled, his eyebrows scrunching together as he examined himself in the mirror. Erwin called him fire yet he still didn't understand it. Passionate was not a word many described him with- to most he looked like a grumpy man who had barely skimmed adulthood yet still thought of himself as above the king. In many ways, he was.

'You're doubting yourself again.' Erwin warned, stroking a single strand of inky hair from his face, revealing the almost white skin underneath. Levi didn't have the heart to disagree with the man and gave him only a solemn nod to confirm his theory.

'You shouldn't. You're beautiful.' Levi shook his head, his mind reeling. He wasn't self-conscious not at all. He was simply a man that hadn't expected to be loved. He was bitter, crude and a repellant. He stared at the red lips that Erwin called fire and the grey eyes that Erwin called the smoke and the black hair that was the ash that settled down at the end of it.

He had accused Erwin of calling his hair grey but Erwin had only laughed. Levi was never good at taking compliments.

And he wasn't going to take one now.

'Can't I come with you? Nile wouldn't know, he's too cowardly to fight anyway. He doesn't see the soldiers who die for him, the bastard. We're the best soldiers and you know it, I could be the thing that that deliberates us from winning rather than losing.' Levi complained, his eyebrows setting back to their normal place but his lips were still pursed and downturned.

'You underestimate Nile. You can't fight, it's treason. I'm not letting you die because you're being stubborn. Have trust in me Levi, I'll lead us to victory.'

'Them.' He fixed, trying to rub the hurt into Erwin's skin. 'But I'll trust your judgement. I just wish that arsehole wasn't the next in line. I'd fight if you were king.' Erwin smiled down at him, turning him around away from the mirror and to his face.

'I love you.' Erwin whispered, scanning Levi as if he had to memorise it. Suddenly, Levi stepped back, his eyes wide and lips parted. He had been set askew from his set emotion, his mind had gone haywire.

All because one little, nagging thought in his corrupt mind.

'You think you're going to die, don't you?' Levi took another step back, his spine brushing against the grimy glass of the mirror- the brown spots persisted no matter how much Levi tried to scrub.

'This is your goodbye.' Erwin's mouth opened to let out some words, any words, to defend himself. But all it led to was parted lips and stale air. The pause felt like it lasted a millennia.

'Levi, that's not what it-'

'But it was.'

'I'm just preparing for the worst.'

'This was different.'

A knock resounded on the door at just the wrong moment, Erwin's lips already parted and ready to speak. 'Come in!' Erwin called, his mouth forming a very different shape to what was originally intended.

The door opened fully to let the huge man enter the room. Mike Zacharias, also known as the 'sniffing giant' by Levi, was Erwin's best friend and partner in battle. Even when Levi was fighting, he did it alone and Erwin had resorted to Mike to help him. Erwin had always been a team player.

'Are you ready?' Mike asked, his face tired and pale. It wasn't a surprise. Before a battle, sleep was fitful, dreams of previous massacres flashing through the mind. Both Erwin and Levi had helped the other through, their triggers and cures found from years of close companionship.

Erwin nodded and looked at himself in the mirror, smoothing down his riding tunic. 'Meet me down at the horses. I would like to say goodbye to Levi.' Mike nodded and closed the door behind him as he left, something Levi had to drill into him.

Levi couldn't help but feel slightly aloft at the mention of his name by Erwin's tongue still, despite what was to come. It wasn't often that he was mentioned, their relationship not hidden but not out there either. Levi was not a liked man and many people disapproved of him being with such an up and coming noble but it hadn't stopped either of them. Levi had never had a penchant for listening to others or joining the gossip, it was easy to ignore. Although, he couldn't help but admit the few insecurities it lighted early on. So, when Erwin did speak of their relationship or him, no matter how subtle, it always sent his heart skipping a beat faster.

It meant Erwin was not ashamed of him, even if he didn't dare speak his name in court.

'Levi,' Erwin called for his attention, dragging him out of his own mind and into the present. 'I'm sorry.' Erwin avoided his gaze, something he only did when shame weighed too much on his shoulders. 'I'm just morbid, is all. I see the worst. I'm as likely to die as anyone out there and without you, this will be my last time to see you.'

'Don't say that as if it's inevitable.'

'Okay.' He sighed, his head lifting just a little higher.

'You still don't believe me?'

'I do, Levi. It's just hard. It's war, neither of us are immune to that.' Levi sighed and raised his hand to Erwin's chin, trying to ignore the almost comical height difference between them.

'We're the strongest in the legion, of course we are.'

'You know that being strong does not change luck.'

'But it should.' Levi remained as stubborn as ever, folding his arms over his thin, cotton shirt.

Erwin signed, his eyes solemn. 'I'll miss you.' He grasped at Levi's hand which still lingered on his chin and wrapped the small hand within his own.

'Go, eyebrows, the dog's only going to wait for so long.' Levi sighed, unwilling to determine a permanent goodbye but the use of pet names, no matter how much like insults they sounded, never failed to put them both in a better mood.

'One last thing.' Erwin muttered, leaning down and pressing his lips to Levi's: a gentle and slow kiss that was over far too soon. 'May Hecate seal your fate well.' Levi mumbled against the flushed lips, his voice a mere whisper.

'You know I don't believe in witches.' Erwin laughed, his forehead still resting on Levi's.

'Doesn't mean I can't wish you luck.'

'I guess not.' Erwin smiled and departed with efficiency, setting his mask back into place. Outside of Levi's company, he was a stone cold man. Most people believed that he was manipulating them all into his bidding and in a way, he was. He calculated every move before anyone had made the last. He was ahead of everyone.

He was also a warrior only matched by one person: Levi himself.

It was what gave Levi hope. Erwin was strong, resilient and the best general England had ever seen. So, as he rode up to Scotland, Levi stayed at home and wished him the luck of the witches- a wish to seal his good luck. And cleaned, of course.

 

 

 

 


	2. Judgement

* * *

  _'Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel.'_

* * *

 

**Court of Peter the Brave.**

**November 1st, 1004 CE.**

The court was as luscious as any of the King’s castles. Located somewhere in the South-East Of England, it was part of the booming society that was becoming the centre of their community. Despite their spread out districts, it was not uncommon for noblemen and women to visit court. Mostly to get noticed by the king but now that the king was married with a son, it was mostly the son than people lusted after- seeing now as he had made the ripe age of eighteen.

Erwin, for all his royal visits over the years, had never seen it decorated as richly as now. It was to be expected, he guessed, with it being today that was Nile’s eighteenth birthday.

The silk ribbons that ordained the upper trim of the castle walls were all a deep, royal purple and the rugs rolled out, a handsome blue that was soft underfoot, even with his shoes on.

Erwin understood the extravaganza. Nile was the king's only son and the next in line to the throne. Their attempts at other children had ended in multiple miscarriages and stillbirths and Nile, although the first, was also the last. For that reason, the king doted on him. And it was also because of that that Nile was such a spoilt prince.

When Erwin had first seen the invitation, he had been so reluctant that he almost rejected it but after careful thought- and fear of being killed in his sleep- Erwin sent his messenger to give the king his letter of acceptance and that he would be there.

Erwin, for all it was worth, at least made it on time, despite his sour mood that had only grown over the six-hour journey down to the King’s court. He was still the last to arrive, anyway. Well, actually, second to last but people tended to ignore the man that made it just behind him. He seemed much more leisurely about the affair, his dark hair groomed flawlessly and a snarl that was just as perfect. The man's name was Levi, they all knew that; although, not much more. He didn't give a last name, going by Lord Levi. Unfavourable family, Erwin assumed.

He didn't speak to the man as they exited their carriages, their steps matching, nor did he even catch his eye. People did not talk to Levi, it was commonplace. No doubt he was only here because the king was as oblivious as his son to the enemies within their ranks. It was up to the rest of them to set the trusting man in line.

Erwin made it inside with no time to spare and quickly greeted everyone he knew, Mike- his best friend- Nile and the rest of the nobles he had met at similar events. Nile, to his credit, had found a woman to take to this occasion who had not left his hip since Erwin had walked into the room. Marie, her name was. A lovely woman, Erwin soon found. And, for the first time in his life, someone who was glad to call herself Levi's friend.

She had bounced away from Nile and come back with a muttering black-haired man, saying something suspiciously like 'hag' to her. 'This is my friend, Levi.' She announced to the small group consisting of Nile, Mike, Erwin and a nobleman from the southwest, Moblit. Levi grumbled something else that Erwin couldn't pick up but hoped it was no throw at the prince- he could take an insult but it was clear that Prince Nile most definitely could not.

'It's nice to meet you, Levi.' Erwin greeted him with, doing his best to be kind even after he had heard so much about the man. He and Levi had been to many gatherings together but not once had they spoken. Only looked. Looked for suspiciously long times, in fact. Although, it seemed that neither of them realised that.

Levi suddenly turned his attention to Erwin rather than the floor, his face barely changing but Erwin could perceive the slight flash of surprise behind those eyes. Erwin did not know what he had done to cause that surprise but he assumed it was the courtesy he was showing. He suddenly felt sorry for the man, did no one show him any common courtesy?

'Nice to meet you too...'

'Erwin Smith.'

'Erwin.' Levi tested the words on his lips, a smile barely forming but a small twist of his lips gave Erwin enough information to know that the man was pleased with it. It didn't make much sense as to why that would be but he shrugged it off. No one else seemed keen to make conversation with him apart from Marie, whose jaw was now slack as she watched the exchange. He really must never get any common courtesy.

That was all Erwin was doing right? (He didn't realise until later when he was chastised by Marie, whom he still barely knew, that he was in no doubt flirting.)

'You don't like last names do you?' Erwin asked, a sly smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

'No, in fact, I don't. Family names are not important. First names show that person, a family name only shows how unfortunate they are.' Erwin was surprised, for such a reserved man he looked like he had no qualms about opening up like this. The man's face remained neutral whilst Erwin could imagine the flush that would capture his face if he were to say something so meaningful at such a pitiful event. It seemed that Levi did not like to attend things that were of no use to him. It was an obligation to him, like it was to most people, really.

'I guess you are right, Levi.' Erwin smiled, finally letting go, finding the embarrassment faded as he looked at Levi. (Little did he know that Levi was, in fact, flirting with him too- even if he was rather bad at it).

An awkward silence fell as Levi and Erwin remained staring at each other, the others unsure of whether to pipe or not. Marie's mouth was still open, gaping like a fish. 'Would you like to dance?' Levi suddenly blurted, his lips moving faster than his mind could comprehend. Oh shit, he suddenly thought, he had already messed this up.

But, Erwin turned thoughtfully to the dancefloor in the middle of the room where a few couples mingled and danced to the background music. 'I would like that.' If Erwin had thought Marie couldn't get any more surprised, he had been wrong. She looked like she was about to speak but the words would not come out.

Erwin raised his arm and Levi took it, their height difference comical to most onlookers but neither of them cared. They were still staring at each other. 'I've heard a lot about you, Levi.' Erwin admitting, trying to make conversation, unwilling to continue only their staring contest.

'Have you? I guess you would, gossip spreads quickly. I assume not much good.' Levi did not seem distasteful to the statement, rather accepting, in fact. Levi had probably spent a lifetime listening to nobles criticise him for his introversion.

'I'm afraid not,' Erwin admitted, seeing no point in lying, 'but I'd like to hear the good.' Erwin smiled again, letting himself ease into their gentle movements, their bodies swaying together but not quite touching, their hands hovering just inches away from each other's.

'Maybe.' Levi shrugged, his ears tinting the slightest shade of red. But Erwin was an observant man, he would have seen it from a mile away. He was liking the effect he had on this man. He was beginning to like a lot of things about this man. And suddenly, he wondered what people didn't like about him? So far, he had seemed perfectly nice.

He didn't know he was getting the special treatment. Marie, whose mouth was still hanging open, was speaking to Nile. 'Has Levi not been possessed?' She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

'I don't think so.'

'I have never seen him be this polite.'

'Neither have I.'

'He hasn't made a single awkward joke.'

'Or told him to fuck off.'

'He loves him.' She suddenly sounded so certain.

'I don't think...'

'No, he loves him.' She suddenly found herself smiling, looking at the pair with glistening eyes. Levi had been her friend for far longer than she would admit and never had he had any interest in her. He made it clear to her that he had no interest in women when she had made her move but she had almost begun to believe that he didn't have an interest in men either.

And now she was seeing it. Even if it hadn't flourished yet, she was seeing it. This was the seed of love. And she was going to water it with her life.

Erwin and Levi didn't notice her, though, too focused on each other to even see that Nile was trudging towards the guards to tell them the actual birthday celebrations would start in five minutes. This was his party, not Erwin and Levi's, he had to have the attention back on him. Nile was ever arrogant.

'You're a good dancer, Smith.' Levi complimented, his mouth barely moving as he spoke. It almost surprised Erwin but he was getting used to hearing the emotions in Levi's voice and not on his face. It was unsettling at first but he was already becoming adapted to it.

'I thought you didn't like last names?'

'Well, it suits you.' Levi admitted, that light red turning a shade darker.

‘I’m glad you think so.’ Erwin admitted, pushing himself closer to Levi, their hands almost intertwined: like magnets, drawn together but pulled apart by a man’s will. The silence that fell was comfortable. They both continued to dance, even when the song stop and a new one replaced it. The lute was a gentle thrum in the background as they watched each other from the corners of their eyes, unable to admit that they were willing to stare for this long a time.

The height difference did not help the dance but neither of them paid attention to that. Whilst his back was upright, his legs were slightly bent without realising whilst Levi was tipped onto the balls of his feet. The compromise made for comedy to the spectators but felt so natural to them, as if they had known each other for far longer than an hour.

They were unfortunately interrupted by the ringing of the bells. The celebration was only just beginning. Levi sighed and Erwin withheld a chuckle at the sight of Levi’s dismay at the thought of celebrating Nile’s birthday.

‘Are you not a fan of parties?’ Erwin asked, pulling away from Levi to join the crowd that was gathering by the stairs.

‘Did you think I was?’ Levi raised an eyebrow suspiciously as Erwin’s almost sinister smirk. He was teasing him, Levi realised. This may have been the first time that it didn’t get on his nerves.

‘Oh, Levi, you’re the life of the party. A nobleman who is loved by all.’ Erwin’s smirk grew into a full grown smile, just short of a laugh. He was enjoying this far too much, Levi realised. Retaliation was key.

When they joined the crowd, Levi spoke again, his neutral face set back in place. ‘Yes, I am. Have you not noticed?’ Over the years, Levi has perfected the art of not moving one's face when speaking to keep a perfect facade of normality. And, it gave a certain type of satisfaction when he saw Erwin’s eyes widen and his eyebrows raise.

‘Erwin, how dare you think otherwise!’ Levi raised his voice, his mouth still in a flat line but his speech a clear pitch higher. ‘I am a well-respected noble. I am especially close with the king's son.’ The imitation of the others bibles surrounding them was impeccable: petty, sly and bragging.

Erwin laughed, drawing the attention of the growing crowd. It was a surprise, Erwin did not laugh- he was too busy scheming, getting his way, manipulating. On top of that, no one laughed at Levi. No one talked to Levi, even. Apart from Marie who was rarely around. They were a pair made in hell. So opposite that no one could ever believe they would even notice each other. Talking, no doubt, was sinful. And sins, sins were taking very heavily.

Erwin and Levi, although both religious, prided themselves on the lack of fear about going to hell. They were braver than any other man, ready to sin for another man's redemption.

Maybe it was this that drew them together.

‘Levi, what is your last name.’ The question was sudden and unexpected, asked after too long a silence as the crowd chatted around them, waiting to see the king- who would give his speech and congratulate his son. And, more importantly, name his heir. And although people suspected it would be Nile, it wasn’t common for a king to name his son his heir. It most likely would go to a cousin or a brother. But everyone saw how King Peter doted on Nile and it would raise no qualms for him to be next in line. Although most hoped it would be a very long time later. Nile, as most people had picked up, was a little too arrogant to become king yet.

‘I don’t tell people my last name.’ Erwin picked up on the hostility immediately. Erwin tried to push through anyway.

‘What is so wrong with your last name?’

‘A lot of things.’ Erwin decided to stop. The venomous look in Levi’s eyes said it all: Erwin was not to push anymore. Erwin wouldn’t. Levi was still dangerous, he had heard stories of him on the battlefield although he had never seen it.

Levi was blood-thirsty. It was the first reason people avoided him. No one knew his past but they knew it wasn’t good. Levi was a mystery that many people didn’t want to solve. Erwin did.

Erwin was sombre when the trumpets played, his face as impassive as Levi’s. He had overstepped his boundary and although he didn’t regret doing so, there was something nagging at him. Regret? Erwin rarely regretted anything. It was a good thing until he forgot what it felt like and the emotion was so confusing that all he could do was focus on the little voice saying that he should revert his actions. But Erwin wouldn’t apologise. His pride would be damaged and Levi would only think less of him. He could see the stubbornness in Levi and he could see that Levi prized that in other people too.

Erwin was finding that he already knew a lot more about Levi than he was supposed to.

Yet, the tension between them was palpable. Erwin had taken the wrong turning and they had jumped back to square one.

Erwin hasn’t realised he was so lost in thought until cheerful clapping reverberated around him. The king had finished his speech. Looking around, trying to hide his panic and surprise, he found Levi, still next to him, with a curious look on his face.

‘Erwin?’ Erwin turned to Levi, remembering to look down and not across.

‘Yes, Levi?’ He replied as if it was a question he had been asked and not a check on his sanity.

Levi didn’t continue, seemingly happy with the answer. Their attention moved to the stage where Nile was now standing, Marie by his side. Both of them were a little disgruntled at having to listen to the birthday boys speech which emphasised his excellence and advancement- all of which was hyperbolic nonsense. Levi and Erwin took peeps at each other and watched as they sighed, gritted their teeth and withheld a laugh at the repetitive lies. Even Marie, who was on the makeshift stage, looked as if she was about to laugh. Although, the other nobles were gullible enough to be drawn into the lies. Most of them, anyway. It was a shame how many of the people with money had little more than a pea for a brain.

Another round of clapping later and they were free to join the party again, convening with friends and enemies and congregating on the dance floor. Places like these were perfect to gain status and brag, making and losing connections. Everyone was on their best behaviour.

Except for Levi. And, in turn, Erwin.

Neither of them had made any connections that night but each other. They were both happy with that.

Erwin, much to his chagrin, was approached by many. Despite Levi’s constant presence, they seemed happy to ignore him and try and wrangle their way into the hierarchy. It’s said that due to Nile and Erwin’s close relationship that Erwin would become his right-hand man when Nile became king. He had a few other contesters, though, and was doubtful that he’d take the position.

Luckily for him, though, Levi didn’t take lightly to being ignored, surprisingly. Apparently, he was perfectly happy to be overlooked in the corner but when approached and then utterly ignored, he became rather bitter.

People tended to run away after that.

When they were left alone again, the sun was nowhere in sight. Disoriented due to the early sunset, both Erwin and Levi made their way outside despite the strong gusts of wind and biting cold. Neither wanted to go back inside, though.

They stood in silence, mulling over their nights. Both had had very different experiences but in the end, it left the same thing. Something very unclear. ‘Levi, I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have pushed you about your family name.’ Erwin apologised, his face sombre and serious. He really was sorry; he often pushed too far and as a result, ended with a few bad relationships but nevertheless got what he had intended to get. Levi was different. Levi was someone that he wasn’t willing to hurt, for whatever reason.

‘It’s fine, just don’t do it again.’

‘Noted.’ Silence fell again, thick and awkward. Neither of them knew that that was probably the hardest thing either of them had done. Erwin never apologised and Levi never accepted one. Both of them were too proud for that. But, here they were, making the impossible possible. For each other. Why were they so close already? It didn’t make sense. They were running on instinct, that nagging that told them to not leave each other’s side. Erwin always believed instincts were there for survival- he was beginning to change his mind. His instincts right now may have been leading to his downfall.

It was Erwin who broke the silence, unwilling to take it anymore. ‘Why me?’ Levi looked over, his cheeks chapped by the wind.

'What?'

'Why talk to me? Of all the people in the room, you decided to talk to me. Don't mistake me, I'm honoured. But why talk to me?' Erwin looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Levi didn't doubt that Erwin was a man that wouldn't settle for anything less than the truth. A thinker, strategist and warrior always had a quest for the truth and Erwin was all of those things.

'Because you didn't look down on me.' Levi admitted. He didn't know why he said it. It was the truth, yes, but it wasn't an admittable one. Erwin couldn't know all his secrets right away. He cursed his own mind, his own thoughts made it seem as if he were allowed to tell him at any point. Levi did not trust people and he certainly didn't do so so quickly.

Levi wasn't allowed to feel like this, to trust like this.

Suddenly, Levi wasn't shivering from the cold but from fear. Fear of his own impulses. Erwin spoke on, anyway, not perceiving the small change in Levi's behaviour. 'No one deserves to be looked down upon.' Levi didn't have an answer to that.

Another silence passed, both of them too distracted by their own thoughts to even recognise the tension. Erwin went to speak again but found no sensible words to say. Levi, on the other hand, didn't want to speak at all.

He settled on simple words. 'I should go now.' He gave no reason, no room for argument. Erwin didn't fight him, just nodded solemnly. Disappointed by the acceptance, Levi left, finding another reason to be annoyed at Erwin. After they had been so open with each other, Levi couldn't help but be bitter against the handsome man.

They were both terrified, that explained it all.

Erwin didn't leave the balcony for another quarter of an hour, staring at the stars above him like they were the most beautiful things in the world. He didn't speak aloud, fearful that someone might overhear, but the words in his mind were so prominent he was sure his ears were picking them up as sound.

'I'm an idiot.' He admitted first, looking up at the stars as a friend and not a foreigner. 'Levi and I are...not a pair. Levi doesn't do others, does he? Damn this, I care for him already, don't I? I can't hide it. He must know it, right? But, then again, he left. He didn't want to stay with me. True, the conversation was going nowhere.' Erwin sighed aloud, looking out over the fields surrounding the palace. 'I shouldn't overthink these things. Levi only did what I was thinking of doing.' He took a step back, nearing the door, taking one last view of the building. 'I guess the night's over and Levi's a stranger again. It was fun whilst it lasted.' Erwin hadn't realised he said the last sentence aloud until it was too late. Spinning hastily, he checked for any onlookers. He would rather not be labelled a madman. The area was deserted. Erwin was just paranoid.

Erwin trundled back inside, his face downcast and sorrowful. No one seemed to take notice, though, as they flocked to him- glad to see Levi gone. But Erwin didn't feel like talking. Suddenly, he hoped that Levi had stayed and would be able to save him.

He wasn't. He was already in his carriage on the way home.

Erwin didn't have the heart nor the confidence to walk away from his partners in conversation, joining talks of politics and weddings, putting on his best smile. All for the sake of his reputation. Reputation above sanity. Sanity, Erwin found himself thinking, was something he trusted would always be there. A simple chat could not diminish that.

At the moment, that thought was already beginning to be overruled.

'Oh, I am so sorry! I must get home, I am meeting someone tomorrow and I must get back!' Erwin interrupted as soon as the man he was talking to paused, feigning panic, the lie rolling off of his tongue. He had picked the perfect time. The man looked too shocked to ask any questions as Erwin strode off, nor did he look annoyed.

Erwin had a presence that few people had the heart to hate. Maybe that's what happened to Levi. No, he needed to stop thinking about Levi.

Erwin's carriage was just where the driver left it, the driver himself smoking a pipe from his seat. Erwin didn't say a word, opening the door and throwing himself into the cabin, slamming the door to tell the driver that he had arrived. He was glad when he heard no questions and the carriage began to move, he would only explode. Erwin's temper was not something that could be broken easily but with his mind in such a state of disarray, he wasn't surprised that he was coming to the end of his tether.

All because of Levi.

He knew Levi wasn't a good thing. Levi was a poison, tricking his mind into something it wasn't. His personality was changing, adapting to fit Levi into his life. He didn't want this. He didn't need this...this weakness.

Erwin grunted, hitting his head against the back of the carriage, hoping the shock might regain some of his rationality. Nothing happened. His head became only fuzzier.

Erwin gave up, ignoring his thoughts. He fell asleep soon after, letting his defences down. He wouldn't remember the dreams anyway.

That night, he dreamed of Levi and in the morning, for the first time ever, he remembered what he dreamed of.

 


	3. Kingship

* * *

  _'The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.'_

* * *

 

**Scotland.**

**21st November, 1012 CE**

‘Enter!’ Nile called out, resting his elbow on the armrest of his throne. His face remained impassive, although the fear was already beginning to seep in. He was too weak to be on the battlefield and now he couldn’t even stomach the thought of it. What a king he was.

The girl, her dark hair sparkling under the candlelight, strode in, her head held high. ‘Captain Mikasa Ackerman reporting, your majesty.’ Nile nodded, waving a hand for her to continue. ‘The battle is tied. The Scottish called for reinforcements and we are hugely outnumbered.’ Bad news, Nile’s grip on the chair tightened.

‘Anything good to report?’ Nile growled.

‘Yes, your majesty.’ Mikasa took a breath. ‘Smith’s squad, they have held the enemy off. They may be the cause of our victory.’ Nile let out a huge sigh of relief.

‘Why didn’t you tell me that first?’ Nile snapped, scowling.

‘I’m sorry, your majesty. Smith told me not to give you hope just yet.’ Of course. Erwin still thought Nile was incapable. No doubt, Erwin wanted the throne for himself. Nile, despite his paranoia, kept Erwin near him at all times. Keep your friends close, they say, but your enemies closer. He still couldn’t tell which one Erwin was.

‘Dismissed.’ He sighed. Mikasa quickly left, seeing that it was no time to be defiant- not that she ever was- leaving Nile alone in his quarters, the closest people the two guards standing outside his tent. Growling, he kicked the chair, throwing his head back in frustration. At least they were on the path to victory, Nile couldn’t take another loss.

‘Your majesty?’ Someone called from outside, their voice unidentifiable through the thick cotton of his tent. Nile was tempted to ignore the voice and remain alone but as king, he had learnt that ignoring people for no good reason never ended well.

‘Come in!’ His voice cracked under the strain of shouting. His nerves were taking over his body. It was a soldier who entered, no one Nile knew. A messenger boy, probably, in military gear. It didn’t matter; his task at the moment was to fulfil his duty and get this boy out of his tent as soon as possible.

‘What?’ Nile snapped. The boy shook in his boots. First time in the presence of a king, no doubt.

‘I was sent here to deliver the casualty count.’ The boy stated, shaking more. Nile’s eyes widened. He shouldn’t jump to the worst but he knew what this meant. Sending a messenger boy meant no one had the guts to go themselves. The numbers were bad. Very bad.

‘Tell me.’ Nile urged, the tension locking his joints.

‘60% of soldiers injured and 30% dead.’ Nile drew in a breath.

‘That means…’ The messenger was bold enough to finish his sentence.

‘Erwin Smith's regiment was the only one left in perfect condition. He would like to report to you that he believes Levi should be let back into-‘

‘No!’ Nile interrupted, he wouldn’t let that scum back into his army. Not for a long time, even if it caused this many deaths. ‘He will not return. Smith is my best warrior and he can fight alone.’

‘He said…’ The boy took a small slip of his paper. Nile suddenly found himself wondering how Erwin had this much time to give so much news. ‘Levi is the only way to win this war and I believe that he should be let back in despite his actions. Too many soldiers are dead because of your squabble. My husband must return. I cannot watch this many soldiers die.’ The messenger boy put the note away, flushed red with nerves. It was no way to speak to a king but Nile would accept it on the account that this boy really was only a messenger. Again, as they say, do not shoot the messenger.

‘Get out.’ Nile knew that if it was Erwin standing there, speaking his own words, then things would have been played out differently. Erwin always was stubborn. The boy did what Erwin never would and left.

Nile was left again to rage by himself, his hands trembling minutely and his cheeks flushed a violent shade of red. Nile should have been celebrating but he couldn’t, not with the number of casualties.

Nile was finally left alone for the better part of an hour before he was joined by the person he would least like to see. Jean, a messenger he knew quite well with a brattish personality and an arrogance that only a king was allowed to wear. ‘Come in.’ The words were fruitless, the boy had already entered unannounced. The guards had long since given up on making him knock and so had Nile. The boy meant no harm but he really did to take his place and step down a notch.

‘King Nile, I bring news.’ Nile waved his hand, telling him to go on. ‘The general has turned against us. We have found him with a woman on the other side. He was helping them all along.’ Nile’s eyes widened in shock. He knew that Marlowe was never a great right-hand man but he had been trustworthy enough to stay by him. The perfect line between gullible and brave, mouldable to be what Nile wanted but strong enough to fight with passion.

Apparently, though, he had been wrong.

Marlowe was a traitor.

Nile wanted punch something, anything. But, he was king. He had a reputation to uphold. Shaking his head, he looked down at Jean, his thin brown eyebrows fighting against each other. With a sigh, he spoke: 'dismissed'. Jean, for once realising that it was trouble to stay, fled without looking back.

Nile did not have a mirror but to say he was leaning towards violence was an understatement. He trusted people because he believed they deserved trust. Even if that list was extensive, he would be compassionate to all of them. And look what he got for it: traitors and death. Slamming his fist down on the weak wood he stood again. The burn in his legs after sitting for so long was welcome and the heavy weight of his robes were a burden he was willing to bear to ignore that outside world.

His mind went to Levi, thinking of Erwin's words. He wanted to spit at something at the thought of the spiteful little man. Black hair and evil eyes were enough at the beginning to make Nile hate the man but Marie, his wife, had adored him. So, he let him mill about and when he was crowned king in the year 1006, at the age of twenty, he let Levi be upgraded in his military rank. He had joined Erwin's squad and together, they were the best pain in the arse he had ever had.

But, Levi had gone too far. Although Nile's reign was stable, a few still believed he was too young and naive to be king. He had enemies. Levi, in his usual fashion, didn't fail to taunt him about it. It had ended in a punch up. Yes, Levi Ackerman had punched the king.

But, Nile did not murder him for it. He was compassionate. Or, at least, his wife was. Marie and Levi were close and Nile could not kill his wife's best friend, even if he wished that he weren't. But, after that, Levi had been 'excused' from military activity. He was on leave. Nile knew he would never let him back.

Nile, in an attempt to distract himself, called for his guards to enter. They did so quickly and efficiently, just as they had been taught to. Nile still felt odd at the power he held over people, although he did often relish in it. 'Bring me Marlowe Freudenburg. Arrested. He is a traitor, stop at nothing to catch him.' Nile could be ruthless when necessary. He still found the guilt pinching him but he had learnt to ignore it. That was another thing Marie had taught him. She had taught him a lot. She was good like that. Beautiful too, with long flowing brown locks, rippling down to her waist and skin with no blemishes. She claimed that it was not natural what she had and it was the effort she put in but Nile didn't believe her, he had never seen her at any less.

Before the guards could leave, he spoke one last thing. 'And I would like Hitch to remain with me whilst you are doing so. Dismissed.' The guards nodded and left as hastily as the rest of his visitors but with far more composure.

It did not take long for his sister to arrive. Hitch, for all intents and purposes, was his daughter. Younger than him by ten years, she was his only relative left. After his mother had died whilst giving birth to Hitch and her dad died soon after, to what many called a broken heart, Hitch had been made his heir, with few distant relatives being known well-enough to take the role.

In fact, none of his relatives even held a place in court apart from Hitch and Marie if you were to count marriage.

She was arrogant, to no surprise, being raised alone by her brother and his advisors and was rebellious to match. But, she always did do what her brother told, for the sake of taking the crown one day. She was clever too, though. For all her bad traits were made up by her intelligence. She was one of the few women with a good enough education to even claim that title. Nile saw no reason to decline Hitch from the chance of an education as long as she remained in her duty and married when it was time.

She would be a good queen, even if Nile wouldn't say it- he would rather not think about his death.

She entered with her head high and, like Jean, no knock. Nile allowed it for her much more easily than he had for Jean. She was royalty too and there was no reason for her to be polite in his presence. They were more free with each other, it was a chance to relax from duty. But, nevertheless, he had news to deliver. Something he'd rather he didn't have to do.

'Hey, shit-beard.' She giggled under her breath. Ever since she had heard Levi say those words, she had never let him get away from it. To the point where he almost shaved off his beard. Of course, he didn't, it would only be giving in and he was sure that his pride couldn't take that.

'Hitch, I thought-'

'Yeah, yeah, don't call you shit-beard. Got that, you've said it before, shit-beard.'

'Hitch!'

'Fine, I'll stop!' In all honesty, Nile didn't mind the name too much, he simply liked arguing with his sister. Lately, it seemed to be the only type of conversation they could have. But, it was better than nothing.

'How are you?' He asked, his face settling into a calmer position, the red finally receding from his face.

'Been better,' she shrugged, 'but, overall, not too bad.'

'Hitch,' he took a short breath, having his final debate as to whether to say it now, 'I have news.'

'What?' Her eyes widened in preceding fear. Nile suspected she already had an inkling this was happening but had said nothing. That was okay. He was her friend and they were closer in age than he was to Nile. Nile had always been okay with it. Maybe, one day, their relationship would have gone further. Not anymore.

'Marlowe, I've prosecuted him on the charges of treason. He is to be arrested as soon as he found and his trial will come soon after.' He hated how formal the words were on his lips but he found no other way to deliver the news but to put back on the mask of king.

'He's not going to die, is he?' Her voice was merely a whisper, trembling under the crushing weight of the news. Bad-news had hit her like a sucker-punch, unexpected at the most unprecedented of times. After so many deaths- Hitch was here with him, she no doubt was aware of the number of deaths too- anything else was sure to break a person.

Not a king. Although, Nile wasn't sure if he was managing to wear the king's robes at all. They were slipping, slowly but surely off of his shoulders.

'I cannot assure that, Hitch.' He didn't want to tell her that it was definite. He had already made up his mind. He had to prove a point. A king had to show his people what he was capable of. If he was unable to provide love without it being thrown back in his face then he would have to face up to the fact that he had to do what was necessary and if that was kill his little-sister's best friend and his right-hand man then so it was.

It didn't help the guilt. Logic never helped guilt.

'No.' She didn't speak the words aloud, her mouth barely forming the words as her knees trembled underneath her, ready to buckle. But she didn't fall, she would never. She was strong and Nile knew she would leave his tent with her head held as high as before. She would be okay. The tears would be private and that meant everything would be okay.

'I'm sorry.' He didn’t mean the words and she knew as soon as they spilled from his mouth. He did mean to console her but he could only do so with false promises and fake smiles. Marlowe was a treasoner who would not escape death and it would be at Nile’s hands. Hitch would never hate him for it but her despair would always link back to him. His fault. His guilt to bear.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ She stated, turning her back on him and leaving. He knew the words weren’t meant to hurt but they still did. They still stabbed him worse than any sword in battle- not that he had fought in more than one but the injury he had received was enough to take him out of duty forever, there was a reason he had a limp.

He didn’t follow her; she would be back soon. She had nowhere else to go in the sea of soldiers that were mourning their friends losses. Many soldiers were already on their way home, as was the way with most battles. The ones that stayed were the ones that had nothing to go back for. Or, for some, unfinished business. It was more common than Nile wished to remember. That unfinished business was something that so often led to him. He got vile words and slurs that it was all his fault. Most kings would kill a man for speaking to him like that but Nile didn’t. Nile believed they had too much reason to speak those words. Nile carried a heavy burden, one that was crushing him.

It had been ever since the heavy crown had been weighed upon his head.

Waiting for his sister’s return, he let the thoughts poison him. He let it seep into his bloodstream and taint him black. He let himself be the monster that everyone saw him as. Every king was a monster to someone. Nile felt every single person whose thoughts those a belonged to. He knew that he was a good king, loved by many. But there would always be a few that didn’t and he couldn’t take it. He was weak. Compassionate, trusting and weak.

Erwin would make a king, he was everything that Nile was not. Ruthless, brave, strong. He had the ability to hear the slurs and defy them. He had the strength to go into battle. Surely if Erwin had a limp, he would still fight until the bitter end.

Nile looked up, his eyes watering- he had let the thoughts too far in. He hadn’t had the strength to stop them. Weak, weak, weak. A weak king with a weak mother and a weak father. A family whose deaths were caused by their own lack of strength. They didn’t die with honour, they died with thousands pitying them. Nile shuddered.

With no guard to call out to, he stepped outside himself. His weak leg lagging behind, gathering mounds of dirt. It was fair to say that he had seen worse injuries but the scar running from his thigh to his knee caused far too much discomfort to pretend to walk normally, even if it was possible.

‘Jean Kirstein!’ He called out, knowing the boy was in one of the surrounding tents. Quickly, a mess of blonde and brown hair peeked out of the tent and the boy looked clueless as he searched for who had called out to him. As soon as his eyes landed on Nile, he fell in an attempt to stand straight, his hands landing in the wet mud that Nile was sure was staining his robes. At least he had a replacement. For Jean, he would not have that mud leave his skin for days.

‘You’re majesty!’ He fumbled to his feet and looked as if he were purposefully ignoring the drying mud on his hands. Nile almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Maybe he would if it weren’t that he had far more important business to be getting on with now.

‘Jean, report to Erwin Smith that he is to become my next right-hand man. And that I will be arriving at his castle in three days after the set of the sun. Be prompt.’ Jean nodded and scurried back into his tent to pack his bags and leave on his horse down south to where Erwin was residing. He would have barely passed the English border by now if he was with his squad, Jean would be able to catch him on time.

And, with that, Nile’s decision was made. Erwin was to be next in line for the throne. Hitch was far too young and with Nile’s death, Erwin would make a great king. Nile simply hoped that that time was as far away as he could possibly imagine.

-

**Scottish Border.**

**21st November, 1012 CE**

Erwin was numb, inside and out. His fingers were barely strong enough to grip the reigns of his horse and his feet contracted with pain each time the horse moved and his toes brushed against the harsh leather of his boots. He was encased in mud, a pungent brown that had become the defining feature of all of them- something that made even Erwin struggle to tell his comrades apart. He shouldn’t have felt this, he knew he shouldn’t. His squad was the only one to make it out alive as a whole. But, that was no excuse to celebrate. He had watched at least a hundred men die out there and he had to live on. He led the strongest soldiers of the entire army, of course they were going to survive. They would never escape the guilt, though.

The grass stuck to the horses hooves as the found themselves somewhere along the Scottish border where the cold still chilled their bones but was little better than where Erwin’s castle resided. Where Levi was waiting.

It was now the only thing pushing Erwin on, the knowledge that someone was waiting for him back home. For some of his men, that same principle didn’t apply. Nanaba, whose father had murdered her mother and died of plague a year later, still had no partner to go back to. No family, either. Mike had a sister but no one else. Lynne had a child born out of rape, the reason that her family had shunned her.

Erwin had a squad of ten. Each with their own sob-story. They were stronger for it, it was why they had made it here. Erwin almost felt lucky in comparison but he knew he had a story of his own. A story that was no happier than the rest.

A father murdered for lunacy after claiming that God did not exist.

A mother who killed herself out of shame.

A sister who’d died in childbirth, only for the child to be stillborn.

Erwin only had Levi now. That was enough. But, it didn’t stop the aching of his heart. Of any of their hearts. They had learnt how to cope with death and ignore it when it was necessary. They were soldiers because of it, the best because of it. But none of them felt any better for it.

Erwin wished they all lived closer but the majority of their homes resided somewhere in the south. Mike was the closest, about an hour’s carriage journey away. Erwin couldn’t quell the sudden feeling of loneliness at the thoughts.

It was irrational, he was surrounded by people in the here and now. He had his friends. None of them were dead. They had all survived. All of them. He should be grateful to whatever force was out there that had chosen that fate. He may have followed his father’s belief and turned to atheism but he still hoped for a higher power. Erwin was nothing but realistic and even if he knew there was nothing and that the universe was made of a thousand consequences, millions- probably more than billions- he wished for something more. Belief and knowledge were a contradiction that Erwin had still yet to overcome.

‘Halt! We’ll take a break. We’ll ride again when the sun has risen.’ Unfortunately for all of them, that was a mere hour or two away. They had ridden throughout the night to keep themselves from the wolves that hid themselves in the forest’s around them from attacking but it had left them, and the horses, exhausted. They were all too desperate to get home but they had managed it before, they could manage it again.

One at a time, the ten of them pushed themselves of their horses and into the sinking mud, their boots dissolving under the liquid. Erwin barely managed to take a step before he was stumbling as one foot got trapped behind the other. With gut-wrenching force, he tugged his shoe out and took another step, one at a time, until he freed himself by standing on the roots of a large tree, which protruded centimetres above the ground. It seemed the rest of his team had taken a similar approach and were resting their legs sitting on roots or tree branches, some of the braver ones taking higher branches than others. None of them were going to die by falling off a tree of this height but it could still cause a major concussion if they were to fall in their sleep.

Erwin called them braver but in reality they were simply the ones that knew they would not sleep. Nightmares haunted all of them. Some were more sporadic than others but they heard each others screams and laboured breaths throughout the night. Some comforted each other and some preferred to be alone and they had learnt the ways of the each other to accommodate for that. It was what made Erwin’s squad the longest standing one. They were a team, not a cluster of individuals. They knew each other’s moves and tactics and by that, they could work together and kill dozens of their enemies.

The nightmares were their punishment for that. War was the only excusable reason to kill a man but Erwin was not sure why. Erwin was a moral man, in the relative sense of the word. Or rather, he believed he was moral. He thought that murder should be allowed or not. He didn’t care on which side it leaned but he believed that there should be no contradiction in law.

He was a murderer but named honourable. Yet, some murders were killed, hanged, for their actions. What seperated him from them? He knew perfectly well what that was. He was killing for the sake of his people. He understood that. Without him, they would be overrun and slaughtered. It did not solve the moral contradiction, though.

Erwin chastised himself. He tended to let his thoughts drift too far. Without god as a lead he found his thoughts overbearing, a curse of the human condition. Yet, no matter what he did, the thoughts persisted. And, sitting on the lowest branch he could find, forcing his legs to push him up only a metre off the ground, he knew he would not sleep.


	4. Paranoia

* * *

_'Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great'_

* * *

 

**Erwin Smith's Castle,**

**24th December, 1004 CE**

Erwin strode through the castle purposefully, taking note of each and every servant whose preparations were all going into the celebration of Christmas that he would be hosting the next day. Although Erwin had begun with much of the work to himself, over time, he found himself with a lack of anything to do but send of his correspondence as every person in Britain paused their political games for the celebration of Jesus' birth.

Erwin found himself bored by the meaning of it all. God, as said before, was a vague figure to Erwin. Although the deity could most certainly be real, it was equally likely that he was not and with the odds in neither favour, Erwin took the logical route and accepted that both were facts in their own right.

'Mina, please move the tree to the ballroom!' Erwin called out, spotting the small, black-haired girl looking lost in the corner.

'Of course.' She bowed her head and hurried off to collect some others to help out and move the tree. Erwin felt it was too imposing in the corridor. It was a fair assumption to say that Erwin thought too much at all. It was likely that the tree was, in fact, not that imposing in the hallway but Erwin went with his gut instinct and once something was done, he tended to weigh the options and decide that it was best done another way.

He was not indecisive. No, it was something only slightly different. Choices were difficult for him, yes, yet he made them so quickly that some people were surprised at his decisiveness. He only ever changed his mind when it was easy to do so and his mind was running no a far higher level than where a Christmas tree should go or why the decorations should hang slightly lower.

Erwin was a soldier, not a host but for tonight, he would have to act like one. If only for his father's plea that he would get a wife and although not much applies after one has died, Erwin would at least like to say that he did that. His father was worthy of having one last thing.

As he made his way back to his office, he sighed, glad that he was removing himself from the preparation. It was true what people said: Erwin Smith's mind was never at rest. But, he could at least try.

Scanning over the list of those he had invited, the ones who were attending another's party crossed out with a thin line, he found a fatal flaw in his list. He looked up and out of the window that his desk stood in front of. It looked over the gardens of the castle, well-kept but wild due to the increased amount of snowfall as of late and an inability for it to be kept. It calmed Erwin to see the slightly frost layering the thin strands of green and hoped that it would stay this way. Snow would cause plenty of trouble for the carriages on their way.

The white was familiar, he realised, wishing his thoughts away venomously. The snow that matched the skin of the man he had met over a month ago. Levi. Levi, oddly enough, was not on his list. He wasn't crossed out nor was he written. The space at the bottom of the page, where one more name could fit, was blank.

Erwin had decided against it. His father had wanted him to find a wife, not a husband. He wanted an heir, one that he could not supply with a husband. But Levi. Oh, Levi. He had fallen already, hadn't he? Finding a wife would be impossible when the only thing on his mind was another man.

'Thomas!' Erwin's voice boomed, hopefully flowing through the cracked walls of the castle stone. Within a minute, Thomas stood at the door, fear etched onto his face at being summoned. It was going to be hard for his messenger to make it through the conditions but Erwin was not changing his mind now. It was set.

'Thomas, take a message to Levi's castle: he is invited to the Christmas celebration Erwin Smith is holding. Apologise for the late invite but he would be very much welcomed.' Thomas nodded before a sour look masked his face.

'Levi who?'

'Just Levi.' That seemed to be enough as Thomas fled the room with the message on his mind and readied his horses to set out.

Erwin let out a sigh, whether in relief or worry, he wasn't sure. He could have just made the best or the worst decision of his life. Surely it would at least make Marie happy that Levi was coming but then again, being on Marie's good side did nothing but protect him from Nile's wrath and keep him in good terms with the king. She was already too close to Nile to become Erwin's wife.

That cut most options out. Levi was by far the most prominent partner at hand and was clearly in no one else's sights. But, the promise to his father meant a lot to him. Surely, the words wife were not discriminatory. He never said he wanted an heir, even if it was implied. Erwin was notorious for finding loopholes but this time, he felt like he was cheating. His father was not expecting his strategic son to make his way out of this, this was a father's wish for his son.

But, Levi. Levi: beautiful, lithe, graceful, albeit a bit crude. He was what no wife could be too, a soldier. Strong, brave, courageous. Any woman that was to marry him would be chained to their home once they had children and Erwin was unsure of whether he could do that.

Almost everything he did was for his country, for war and to hold back even a single soldier was enough to kill more than one. Erwin was a war strategist, not a father. He didn't think he could ever be a father. With Levi, he didn't have to be (and it was almost definite that Levi did not want to be a father).

Erwin stared once again out of the window, watching as Thomas raced away on his horse, the hooves leaving small tracks of green behind them.

He couldn't even be sure that Levi would come. It was unlikely that Levi went to any celebration without the King's pressure. But, Erwin had invited him and maybe that was enough? Or maybe Erwin was getting ahead of himself. Yes, he and Levi had had a good time at Nile's birthday celebration but that did not mean they were close and in all honesty, the night had not ended well.

Erwin couldn't sit and do nothing any longer, he only had a few hours left of the day and he didn't want to let it dwindle away.

Finding the armoury, Erwin changed, the heavy silver plating comfortingly familiar. Grabbing his training sword, he moved to the next room where dummies were laid out for training. Once Erwin had his own personal squad, he would most likely train them here but for now, it was his and his alone. Few servants had the nerve to train under such a prolific soldier.

Weighing the sword in his hand, Erwin moved into position- something that he would never be able to do on the battlefield but it at least gave him more confidence in the privacy of training. Lifting it up, he threw it at the dummy, surprised to see the body split in half easily, the straw it was stuffed with spilling easily from the bottom half of the mannequin.

Erwin groaned, scanning over the scattered straw and took a step back, sheathing the sword and taking place on the bench in the corner. He hadn't realised how much this was affecting him. He pushed his emotions out too far; he couldn't even see them anymore. Taking off his sword belt, he placed it by the wall and lay down to work out in a simpler way, one that wouldn't make a need for him to contact the local armoury for more supplies.

He began with a routine, something to take his mind off of his reeling thoughts. Routine always did him good. He thought so much, planned so far ahead that he could no longer feel safe in what most people deemed as normal. There were very few routines he felt safe falling into.

Sit-ups, press-ups, sit-ups again, squats, press-ups. Repeat. Again. Repeat until your muscles are too fatigued to move and your whole body burns. Erwin paused, gasping for a breath he didn't know he'd wanted and let his body accept the pain. Lying on the floor, face up, watching the ceiling darken as the sunlight diminished, leaving the balmy glow of the torches.

Erwin had to accept it, he was falling for Levi. Maybe he already had, even if that was too big a step for his mind to take. But he had. It was infuriating him- he couldn't control love. A wife, he still had control of that, as was society's norm. But, a husband and one that he was in love with? That put him in the worst strategic position possible.

He cursed himself for his thoughts. Always strategy, always what was best, never what would make him happy. He was a soldier, not a human. He was a machine that could kill and be killed with no regrets- except every regret. He refused to feel it but he knew it was there, creeping over him slowly until he became crippled, sickened by the guilt of his actions.

Sleep. Erwin needed sleep. Picking himself up off the floor and dusting the mud off his armoured back, he put away everything he had taken out and paced to his room. Each footstep caused tremors through his body and he wondered if he was already a crippled man. He had felt little else in his life, after all. He grew up without a mother and aged to see his father die. Without siblings, without family, he was a miserable orphan with too big a mind to contain. He wasn't so far from becoming his father and murdered for heresy.

His bed gave him no comfort either, only nightmares. Sleep hadn't been with him for years but no matter what plagued it, he'd never woken up sweating, a scream barely from his mouth. He didn't remember his nightmare, didn't remember what it could be about.

And why now?

The situation with Levi had annoyed him, that much was true. But nothing of the situation should have been enough to wake him in the middle of the night, the moonlight spilling onto his skin like a beacon directing his pursuers.

Something else had happened, something bad, something that his mind was so desperate to remind him of but could never seem to show him outside of the blankness of sleep. Erwin groaned, rubbing the heel of his palms into his eyes and throwing his legs over the side of the bed. His feet were numb to the cold, stone floor as he stood up and stumbled in the darkness towards his desk.

The window behind his desk was his only window, large and omniscient but nonetheless restricting. He had a view of only one side of the castle and even then, he could barely see more than a corner. Paranoia embraced him like a lover and rocked his mind back and forth. Erwin was still in the remains of delirium, woken from far too deep a sleep, but his mind didn't stop whirring. He could feel the nails of Paranoia dig into his skin, drawing blood.

An assassination, he was sure of it. That's what this was, this feeling that hammered his heart and crushed his brain. Paranoia nodded, smiling, it's black eyes lighting up like it was their birthday. An assassination, it whispered to him, they're coming for you.

With sudden urgency, he locked all the doors and barred them with the only chair in the room, a rickety wooden thing that was most likely not going to hold against someone's weight. He could only hope.

Paranoia ran after him, rushing as fast as him, copying him, mimicking him. It looked so much like him, a shadow of him, its shape so similar but its features so indiscernible that Erwin could say nothing.

You let the guilt in, it whispered to him as if it was sharing something that Erwin did not already know. He knew, he denied it but he knew. This was the guilt. It made shapes that weren't real and called to him like a friend whispering in his ear. He wanted to believe it, believe it all. It was all his fault. Each and every death was on him.

He pushed it out. He rebuilt that wall and killed the ghosts inside it and let the titanic thoughts claw at its outside. He did it all with a sigh. Paranoia drifted away, disappointed and left Erwin to himself, isolated and alone.

He tried to sleep again but he could feel the blankets suffocating him and the pillow crushing his skull. He looked back out the window, the view from his bed nothing more than the moon in the sky.

Tomorrow would be better. Levi would be there. Levi could help him. Why he thought that was something he could not figure out but he felt safe with Levi. When he was with Levi, a smile graced his lips when nothing else would. Levi was the beacon that led him. Sleep didn't come until the sun rose and there was a knock at his door. He mustn't have slept more than a few minutes.

That was okay. Levi was coming today. Or, at least, Erwin hoped he would.

-

Erwin stalked around the castle, acting his part. The black under his eyes was evident of the tortured night but nothing else remained. His shadow trailed behind him, sulking and low and he held his head high and proud- enough so that no one would ask questions.

Those who had travelled the furthest had arrived and had been shown to their rooms where they would stay before leaving again. The journey was too long to make on a snowy night. Erwin had introduced himself delightfully to them all, jovial and charming as always. No one saw behind his exhausted mask. His smile fell as quickly as the door shut behind them and the couples took their rooms.

The party would begin in an hour and already the music was set up and the food was waiting in the kitchen to be served later on. Erwin had spent so much of his money on this and he would not let it go to waste.

Finding himself in the entrance hall again, having walked in a full circle, he waited against the wall for the next guest, letting his head fall tiredly to his shoulder- his first sign of weakness all day. He wasn't sure how he was meant to host a party in this state but he would do as was necessary. He was a soldier, for god's sake, he should be used to sleepless nights. But what had happened last night was not sleepless, it was torture.

The door opened gently as Erwin snapped his head open and stood tall, presenting himself as he should have done, the effort going into it not worth the rest he had just taken. 'Smith, I'm so happy to see you! It's been too long!' Marie stepped through, her dark hair falling behind her.

She remained a cordial distance away but looked as if she was bursting to throw her arms around him. Nile, on the other hand, looked far from pleased. Erwin was surprised they had come at all. Although the King did not have his own celebration, which most would turn up to, there were much higher ranking nobles out there that Nile would do best to show himself at.

'It's a pleasure to see you too, Marie.' Erwin smiled, the gentle pull of his lips feeling more natural than it had all day- even if it still caused a dull ache in his chest. 'And you, Nile.' Erwin turned, happy to have the upper hand over the man and look far more composed. For a prince, Nile certainly lacked the charm that Erwin obtained.

'As your host, I'm sorry to say that the ballroom is not quite ready but I'd be happy to take you to the parlour for some drinks.' Both nodded, one far more jovially than the other and followed Erwin down the winding corridors to the parlour.

The room was large and ornate, the classical design creating an illusion that the castle was much older than it truly was. The golden trimming and white walls reflected something of Greek culture whilst the colourful paintings and bright rugs were more standard of contemporary design. Erwin prided himself on the design; it was enough to make people awe whilst also making them comfortable and not foreign. He wondered only for a second what Levi would think of the room, quelling the thought faster than it had come with a sigh, striding purposefully to the small table where a tray lay, on top of it a selection of wine- from white to red and everything in between- that they had hidden away for a special occasion.

Picking the deepest red he could, something that would suit the wintery conditions, he poured three glasses and handed them around. 'So, how come you two made it in such quick time? I must say I thought the snow would delay many.' Erwin took a seat on the straw-filled seat, watching as Marie and Nile took a seat opposite.

'I had something to attend to that was delayed to a few days time; we ended up leaving far earlier than we had expected.' Marie smiled, the faint red of dye on her lips prominent.

'Well, I am glad, you're company is most delightful.'

'I never do seem to miss your charms, Smith.' Marie smiled wider and Nile scowled, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Erwin toned it down from there and watched as Nile relaxed, started throwing suggestions into the conversation and the two-way conversation became three. It was what Erwin had devised all along. It was luring Nile into a sense of security that was by no means false. If Erwin was to be on good terms with Nile, he needed to prove that.

'How about we move to the ballroom? I'm sure the guests will begin to arrive soon.' After an array of nods, they all stood and let Erwin lead them back through the route they came by and to the largest room of the house: the ballroom.

'You outdid yourself, Erwin.' Nile complimented, looking around with hidden awe at the luscious and vibrant decorations that crowded the room. It was perfect. It came in plenty, enough to show off his wealth, whilst lacking the tacky aspect that so many fell into.

'Thank you.' Erwin hated this part of conversations. He was never one for showing off so receiving compliments was not his forte but rather giving them. But, even if his answer sounded a little stilted, it was still enough to make the giver feel good enough about themselves to fall further in favour with Erwin. All for politics, each little actions, each move was a game of chess and one wrong step and the whole game could fall into the others favour. It was just another reason that people called Erwin 'stoic' or 'heartless'. He had long since learnt to ignore that slurs but they still made him question his tactics. Not that he had ever changed them.

'I'll leave you to it. As the host, I should welcome myself to the rest of the guests.' Erwin gave a polite nod before withdrawing from the conversation and scanned the steadily filling room for any sign of the one person he was waiting to talk to. Nothing. Although Levi was small, Erwin was sure he could spot him in a crowd as empty as this.

With a sigh of disappointment, he found himself trapped in conversation with mind-dulling noblemen and under the charms of a few fateful women. None caught his interest, much to his chagrin. It would have been far easier if he could just fall for a woman and spite Levi from his mind.

That clearly was not going to happen.

The musicians finally began to play, the sound of the lute as familiar and lulling as ever. Couples flocked to the dance floor whilst Erwin sulked, albeit with an expression of absolute neutrality, by the wall. The shadow that appeared beside him was ignored at first; Erwin didn't have the energy to introduce himself again. If they spoke, he agreed to himself, he would keep up his usual act but for now, he could feign ignorance and pat his foot as he had been, pretending to enjoy the music that was failing to keep him awake. Last nights dreams were taking its toll and as the night drew on, he found himself thinking of little but sleep. People weren't doing him any favours, talk of money and power games of little interest. Erwin never let his guard down, though, he never misplaced his piece. Each action still held its power, even if it was done with far less energy than he could usually muster.

'Wow, Smith, I didn't think you would be so cold as to ignore me.' Erwin shot up, his slightly subdued stance replaced with one of overriding shock.

'Levi.' He paused, at a loss for words. 'You came.' The words sounded wrong on his tongue, too impulsive, a move that he hadn't thought through. A move that left him open to attack from the other side. But, Levi didn't take it. He placed his move, drawing back rather than forwards, saving Erwin from the pain of losing his first piece.

'Don't sound so shocked. Although, I am rather disappointed to say that my invitation came so late.' The devious smirk was enough to tell Erwin that Levi didn't care that much at all about the timing of his invitation but it did further Erwin's guilt- as well as regret. However he thought this reunion was going to go, it wasn't like this. Although, now, he couldn't remember how he'd wished it to go at all.

'I'm sorry for that.' Erwin apologised carefully, his tone on the verge of breaking- that solidarity that he usually carried himself with lost in the swell of emotions.

'What's got in your pants, Smith? You look scary.' Levi frowned, pushing out from his place in the shadows and right in front of Erwin, craning his neck a little to look up at him. Black hair fell away from his face and Erwin pitied those who didn't get to see Levi for who he really was. Beautiful.

'I'm fine.' Erwin lied, still recovering, his voice sturdier than before. 'Care to dance?' He asked, his mask finally falling back in place and that childish excitement buzzing in his stomach. Levi let out a soft breath and nodded, following Erwin to the dance floor and letting himself be lead through the moves.

The sense of deja vu washed over both of them, the dance a parallel to the one they had previously performed, their hands brushing but never touching, their feet moving as one and their eyes sneaking glances at the others like shy teenagers.

'I'm surprised you came on such notice.' The initial shock had worn off and Erwin found himself brimming with curiosity, his thick brows furrowing curiously.

'As am I.' Levi gave him no more of a reply. Erwin found himself desperate to push for an answer but in a vain attempt in keeping his composure, he focused on the dance, staring down at Levi openly, hoping that maybe his stare would be enough to spur on an answer.

'I'm bored. Show me something interesting.' Levi pulled away, his frail hands falling gently back to his side and his short legs falling back quickly as if, without an answer, he would flee. Never dulled by Levi's bluntness, Erwin smiled and gave Levi his hand- to which he denied- and led him, a little disappointed, further into the castle.

'What would you like to see, Levi?' Erwin asked when he found himself with no ideas and walking in an easy loop around the lower floor of the castle. Levi didn't say anything for a while, following Erwin faithfully until something sprung to mind.

'Take me outside.'

'But it's snow-' Erwin stopped himself before he could finish. If Levi wanted to go outside, he had an idea. With determined steps and a smile playing on his face, he led Levi to the best place he knew.

Up the winding stairs and across the ever-lengthening corridors, Erwin opened the door and allowed Levi in first. 'This isn't outside.' Levi said, his eyebrows furrowed.

'Patience.' Erwin chastised, his lips curving up further as he walked calmly to the other side of the room where, in a gap between bookcases, was a large oak door, thick and tall it blocked any view of what was on the outside but was magnificent enough in itself.

'I swear if this leads to some sort of...sex dungeon, I swear to god I'm going to-'

'Don't worry, Levi. I don't know whose been taking you to sex dungeons but I certainly won't.' Erwin chuckled and found the key on the table, pushing into the rusty lock that looked as if it hadn't been used in decades in spite of being used less than a week ago.

Pushing the door open with a flourish, Erwin let himself outside and held the door open for Levi. Although no words came from his mouth, Erwin could see the awe on his face. They were on a balcony, like you would find on most castles but it wasn't the balcony that made any lasting impression- the simple stone nothing noteworthy. But, there was something that made this Erwin's favourite place to think- and suddenly he found himself wishing he had come here last night, not that it would help him get any sleep- the view.

Where most parts of the castle didn't show much but plain fields with a few stray animals, the sight barely anything at all, this was different. The balcony was the only one on the rear side of the castle and with that came the magic. With stars bright in the sky, the floor almost matched it, a sea reflecting the sky. The town underneath lit up, flickering and twinkling flames looking ready to lick up the wooden huts but it never did. Alongside the light were shadows, creeping and spinning but magical in just the same weight- the darkness to balance out the light. It was like watching your own world from up in your high castle, a ruler in all their might. A king.

'Whoever your parents were they must have been rich as fuck.' Erwin was beginning to lessen his discomfort at hearing so many swear words, beginning to find it endearing but it still didn't help the pang in his heart at the thought of his parents.

'Wouldn't know. I've lived here most my life but not with my parents.' It was the easiest way to tell people what had happened. The word death was too heavy on his tongue to say aloud.

'Oh.' No condolences, just acknowledgement and something about that was nice- refreshing. He was glad, at first, to hear it, to know people cared but so many years on, it only made him feel worse.

'You've never told me where your castle resides, my messenger told me the place but I didn't recognise the name.' Erwin tried diverting the conversation, it was the easiest method of distraction.

'About an hour south of here. Haven't been there too long, unlike you. But I'm alone there too.' The easiest way to tell another that they were the same. It was the least direct Erwin had ever seen Levi, the melancholy on his face unexpected. But, it seemed very few people liked to speak of their lack of parents.

'You still have not told me your last name, you know.' The look of surprise on Levi's face was not what he was expecting. Was he supposed to know?

'No one's told you already?' Erwin wondered who would know, pausing. Oh, Marie. Of course, that would have been an easy solution.

'No. I wanted you to tell me.'

'Well, bad luck, because I won't.' Levi turned away from the view and looked at Erwin, the wickedness of his smirk displeasingly enchanting.

'Please?'

'You're charm's failing you, Smith.'

'So is yours...'

'That's not going to work.' They were closer than before.

'Tell me the first letter.'

'Nope.' How were they this close already?

'A clue?'

'Nah.' Their breath was mingling.

'Please?' Levi watched as Erwin said his final words and realised their proximity, the situation suddenly more terrifying than before. Thoughts flickered before him, cruel and punishing, so sudden that he wondered why they hadn't come before, why they couldn't have saved him before it was too late.

Their lips brushed.

'Erwin...' He took a step back. 'I can't.' With that he fled, leaving Erwin with a thousand words on his tongue.

 


	5. Fear

* * *

_'It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both'_

* * *

 

**Unknown Marshland,**

**28th November, 1012.**

Sleep was not a necessity that Erwin's body felt it required. The remains of waking clung to him like his wet clothes and the water filling his mud-stained boots. Blearily, he stood, blinking a thousand winks to clear his field of vision. Amongst the trees was water and grass and little more. The marshland spread for miles and Erwin was only grateful that they had found one that edged the forest. The trees would, at least, protect them from the biting winds and leave them out of open sight- predators here could be as aggressive as any enemy.

Mike sat a few trees over, staring at the sky passively. His eyes were as open as Erwin's and it was clear that sleep had not succumbed to him as it had the other exhausted soldiers. Erwin pitied him as much as Mike pitied him in return, two sleepless men, fumbling around miniature lakes in a hope that they did not drown.

There were no words that were needed to be exchanged when Mike turned and noticed Erwin's gathering form, the shadows casting gruesome images onto the trees that in the delusion of days without sleep, he could almost believe were monsters. Mike stood, not towering much over the other tall man and they set out in silence into the abyss of hovering nature and crumbling ground.

They set out barely a few paces from their makeshift campsite when the whispers erupted around them. Cold, dark and icy. From all directions, chanting, whispering. 'Smith, Smith, king to be. Smith, Smith, king to be.' Cackling and laughing, all a mere whisper. Erwin could hear it all: the taunts, the cries, the pleas and the praise. Whispers flickered like flames, erupting like an explosion that left no remnants of itself behind.

It grew louder and at sometime, Erwin had lost his companion behind him who was now staring worriedly at the mad-driven man. 'Zacharius, you hear that too?' A nod in reply, little more. Fear blossomed in both of them and no matter how enchanted Erwin was by the cacophony, his heart thundered in his chest. His hairs raised, ready for flight and his palms sweat as the adrenaline pounded through his veins.

Silence.

'Hello.' A quiet voice, barely carried by the wind. And a girl with the looks of an angel. Small and sweet as many maidens in the kingdom were but with the eyes of a goddess- knowledgeable and ridiculing. 'My name is Historia.' Her voice was an angel's too and Erwin was finding that despite his lack of belief in God, angels were becoming all too real.

The girl smiled. She must have been that, just a girl. As she spoke more, the high tone of her voice indicated nothing else. But her eyes. As blue as the sky but sparkling in a way that no day could.

'Ymir.' Erwin flung himself around to see a girl, much taller this time, smiling and bowing as she introduced herself. Whilst the other girl was an angel, this girl was the opposite. A devil- a hidden beast. She snarled with a set of gleaming teeth, her almost black eyes hidden by a thin layer of brown hair. She was barely visible, camouflaged by the thick brown of the trees and the mud.

'Sasha.' Erwin didn't turn this time, shuddering as the icy breath ran down his back, crawling like an insect until his feet were paralysed. Mike stood, his eyes wide in shock, glancing between the three, making no move to back away or to fight. The two soldiers were paralysed. All because this was the unknown. This was friend nor foe. This was something entirely different.

The final girl, Erwin found, as she rounded around him, her face alight with glee as she giggled- almost like he was food, an object and not a man. They were playing with him, he knew, but he had no retort. He could only stand there.

'What are you?' He hissed out, his voice far quieter than he would have hoped, caught in the wind and dragged away before many of the ears could hear it. Mike hadn't. These girls had. These girls heard everything.

'We are mere messengers.' The angel girl sang, a smile playing gently on her puckered lips.

'Here to tell you a prophecy.' The third girl whispered as if telling him a secret that no one else could know- delighted by the mere fact that she was here.

'That has been destined for you since birth.' Suddenly all three girls appeared before him, none of them moving yet all in a new position as before. These were no apparitions, Erwin could see their human flesh, their shining eyes and airy voices. These were witches, just as Levi had told him. Incarnates of evil, masters of trickery and beautiful in a way that no human could not but still no different in appearance.

'Speak on.' Erwin spoke, looking between the three of them with suspicion. Even through his terror, Erwin saw no reason to doubt. Witches always had their own agenda at heart but surely that was not always against him. Erwin was a tactician, he looked at things from a thousand perspectives. They could not trick him, they could merely tell him what was already true.

'A kind one you are.' The third one giggled.

'Not many people talk to us anymore, you see.' The second girl hissed.

'I don't understand why.' The first girl fluttered her eyelashes, the innocence radiating like a newborn. Together they were a perfect contradiction; they moved as one, they were one in so many respects yet their personalities and appearance were so contrasting that Erwin could barely begin to understand what one of them was thinking. Erwin always knew what people were thinking.

'Erwin Smith,' Number three.

'We are here to tell you,' Number two.

'That right-hand man you shall be.' Number one.

'And after,'

'With a stained heart,'

'King you shall become.'

Erwin stared, not daring to move. With small twitches, he looked between the three women, each with their own expression of awe and reverence. And something overrides it all. Intrigue. Like Erwin was an animal to be watched: wild and foolish to think that there was any way to escape their watchful gazes.

The flicker of life came as a shock when the three moved as one towards the other man, barely three steps behind Erwin. Mike, with his stern expression and impervious personality, stood vulnerable- his eyes wide and fearful as his body trembled, almost imperceptibly, at the sight of the three woman- or more likely girls- staring up at him.

The first one spoke again, her pink lips barely moving. 'And you,'

The second one followed on, the cruel smile never replaced. 'To no advantage of your own.'

The third one spoke last with a giggle that could reflect no happiness. 'Will create a tree of kings in your wake.'

'Your children shall be the greatest kings of generations.'

'More intelligent and stronger than any before them.'

'A cruel fate for the kings that precede.' The witches smile congruously.

Nothing. They had vanished.

The stupor was broken and Erwin stumbled, his foot tangled under a loose root. Barely finding his feet, he avoided tumbling to the ground and regained his composure with little more than a shocked grin and trembling limbs- fear replaced with everlasting excitement.

'Mike,' Erwin turned, the smile growing as the news sank in. 'I'm going to be king.' The whisper was bare, vulnerable, something that Erwin believed in so wholly that he wouldn't turn away from it for his life.

'You believe them?' The man was still shaking, trying to hide the trembles behind tight fists. A soldier was meant to show no weakness.

'Why should I not?'

'They were witches.' Mike stated as if it had not been obvious from the beginning.

'And why do you call them that?'

'Because no good-intentions messenger would give you news so bright.'

'Your pessimism is unfounded.'

'As is your optimism.'

'But why should I not allow myself to believe I will be king?'

'False hope will lead to your death.' The conversation stopped abruptly, no answer finding its way to Erwin's mouth. Turning away from the man, Erwin sighed and began to trek back to base, hoping the buzz of excitement would help him through the remaining journey.

Mike trailed behind silently, glancing at his friend worriedly as if his body language alone could drag his leader from his fantasy. There were few people that did not believe the existence of witches, the mere fact that the human mind had created them proof of their existence to some extent. Mike knew as soon as he saw them and it had turned his blood cold and he saw the curse they had placed on Erwin. Hope was a false friend and with a man as ambitious as Erwin, it would not leave him alive.

Mike was also ashamed to say that he believed the witches. No matter what he did, he could not stop Erwin now. The king was going to die. Nile, their friend, was going to die. And Erwin was going to take his place. A place that never belonged to him. A place that would be his final resting place- not deserved nor given. Stolen.

Mike found himself distancing himself from the man already. Mike was in a position of no power, susceptible to death and with knowledge that would either kill his friend or kill his country. The decision was harder than Mike had ever known.

He didn't say a word to anyone.

When Erwin was back at camp, the sun was back and the soldiers were beginning to wake. Shocked by the time that had passed, when the conversation in the woods had felt mere minutes, Erwin grounded himself by hunting through his bag for the food rations King Nile had given his squad before they had departed.

It barely held a lone piece of bread but it would do him until he returned to his castle. Levi, hopefully, had told the maids to prepare dinner but Erwin would not count on it- Levi was notorious for 'forgetting' to tell the maids to do things. It was a fact that Levi had grown up in poverty and now did as much as he could to keep the maids in work without being afraid of being forced into a worse household or under a much worse pay than necessary. Erwin tried to accommodate that for him but as a man who grew up with abundant riches, it was still sometimes hard to think of the maids as humans at all: he had been taught that way.

But, Levi also knew how much Erwin had done over the past month and he hoped that would spur him to put the castle into uncommon action. The thought of Levi, though, did not do much to quell his excitement. Erwin already knew that he would end up writing to Levi before he returned home (maybe he could mention the food?) to tell him the news.

'Smith, we are ready to depart.' Erwin hadn't noticed he was standing, staring at the clouds, doing little but thinking until Nanaba stood in front of him, her hand over her heart, a military salute, reporting for duty.

'We will depart now, then, gather everyone on horseback. There is no reason for delay.' Erwin was proud that he could hide his smile behind professionalism. The few people who saw him smile had said it did little but make him look maniacal. Most said he had little care for human lives and he would beg to differ but he understood that he created a lot of losses with little outward remorse. People never saw inward guilt. His smile only resembled another idea for human death; even if it was prosperous for humanity, people very rarely thought his ideas to be good-willed.

Erwin found his horse within seconds, the white stallion still dirtied with mud but far more rested than before, standing as tall and proud as its owner.

Erwin rubbed its head with a smile, finally adjusting the saddle in preparation for the long trip ahead. 'Commander Smith, there's a messenger for you.' Jumping down from his place at the side of the horse, his foot falling from the stirrup, he glanced at the gathering of people around him. His squad, joined by two messengers, were watching him with a curious fascination.

'Erwin Smith, I am here to deliver a message from the king.' The boy stepped forward, followed by his friend- the contrast of the two of them almost comedic. One bald and the other with such a plethora of hair, toned both brown and blonde that his eyes were barely visible.

'Who are you?' Erwin asked cautiously; there had been occasions were false messengers had been sent in order to infiltrate him. Not a single attempt had been successful.

'Jean Kirstein, King Nile's personal messenger. This is Connor Springer, my partner.' Erwin smiled gently at the boy, a glint of playfulness in his eyes.

'Jean Kirstein, the boy who was transferred from the Ackerman household?' Erwin knew personally that there had been no such transfer.

'No, sir, I began under the King.' He stuttered, confusion passing over his features.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I was mistaken.' Erwin smiled wider, this boy was no enemy; they would have most likely agreed with him, he had made a reasonable assumption if it were not for the Ackerman family being a single man and one who had no messengers at that.

'Um, I'm here to give you a message. From King Nile.' Erwin nodded, insinuating that he continue. 'He has named you his right-hand man.' The other boy, Connor, walked forward with a single robe in his hands. Perfected silk hung smoothly, the delicate blue the signature of the one closest to the king.

'You must be wrong, I cannot be put in borrowed robes. The king already has a right-hand man.' Erwin's eyebrows furrowed, staring at the gleamingly new silk. This had not been passed down from the previous man and for that reason, he could only assume he was still alive. This was new, the reason unknown.

'He is dead, Commander. He was a traitor.' Erwin stared at the robes again, his eyes never leaving the fabric, even at the news of his acquaintances' death. It came as no surprise. It was Erwin's suggestion that Marlow should be investigated. But for him to be the right-hand man to the king was a ludicrous idea.

Yet: 'the right-hand man you shall be'.

They were right. They were correct. Erwin truly was going to be king. Scanning the crowd, his eyes found Mike, the man's frown more accentuated than before. Powerless, Erwin thought smugly. Erwin was going to be king, he was going to be what he always wanted. He would have the power and he would do good with it, just as he always promised Levi he would in their silly fantasies of being in places far better than their own.

If only because they wanted to know what it would be like to save people. To help people. Erwin wanted to abolish poverty, even if the feat was impossible. He wanted to abandon war until it was a necessity rather than fighting these pointless wars for unneeded territory. He wanted to create a world where no one could look down at his husband or his squad for their pasts but rather see them for themselves, a start of a new family line.

'And King Nile named me as his successor?'

'That is correct.' Connor took another step forward and only now could Erwin see how his hands slightly trembled in his presence. Erwin could not pretend that he was not intimidating but it did set him on edge that so many people feared him already. If he were to build a better country, of which the plan was already forming in his head, then the people could not be afraid.

The robe was so clear that he almost didn't believe it, the intricacies something that he had never had the pleasure of examining before. And now it was his. Erwin had taken the first step towards his inevitable leadership and now he only had one more to go.

Taking the silk in his own fingers, he bunched it, relishing in the feeling of the fabric slipping between his calloused fingers. 'Thank you and relay my thanks back to the King.' Both messengers nodded before fleeing, their gazes fleetingly meeting as if they could talk without opening their mouths. Erwin stared again at the scarf-like structure in his hand and folded it gently before placing it in his pack, disappointed that he had to give such an important gesture the courtesy of being crushed in a small sack. He did not have anywhere else to put it, though, his clothes to muddy to touch it- his hands already staining the blue- and no box to store it in. It would do.

'We will delay our departure for an hour, I have private business to attend to.' He addressed his squad, his voice leaving no room for argument even though they surely knew what his sentence actually meant. He would write to Levi, tell him the news, tell him everything. Tell them how their dreams were coming true. They would be kings, regal and untouchable. Most of all, they would be powerful and with power, they could do anything.

-

**Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman's Castle,**

**28th November, 1012.**

Marie's chatter was enough to distract Levi from his leaping thoughts. Worry for Erwin had long since quelled into a numb feeling of extraction about the whole situation. Marie, who had kept him company whilst her husband was also gone, did well in updating Levi on the latest gossip and trends of the time but it did little more than entertain him for a while before the gossip became meaningless and far more irritating than he could put up with.

'And when Lady Maria told Lady Rose that she had a crush on her husband, all hell broke loose. I almost-'

'I get it, there was relationship drama. As with the last five stories. Anything more interesting to tell me?' Levi sighed, the dull grey of the corridors letting his eyes blur and his legs walk aimlessly.

'Aw, Levi, don't be mean.' She pouted, although any real offence was clearly fake. Marie had long since passed the stage where she found Levi abrasive. 'What's gotten into you?'

'Nothing.' He snapped, flinching at how defensive it made him sound. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what had riled him up so much. Cabin fever would be at the top of the list but he was sure that visiting the neighbouring village yesterday would have quelled that. He had only felt worse.

He would never admit that loneliness was something that would affect him. Even with Marie by his side, it had done nothing to patch up the gaping hole in his chest. Without Erwin, he had been nothing and now in his absence, that familiar feeling was becoming all too real again.

To some extent, he enjoyed being alone but it was different when he had become accustomed to anything but. He had been raised to be alone and taught to be a pair. The adjustment to becoming either was arduous and Levi had tried it one too many times: he was left dizzy and tired.

'That doesn't sound like nothing. Come on, let's go to the parlour. I want to sit down.' Levi laughed at how prissy she sounded but followed her eagerly, hoping that sitting would stop the spinning sensation from tipping him.

When they arrived, Levi almost collapsed, resting his head gently on the back of the sofa to find some sort of reprieve. Running a hand through his ragged head, he finally lifted himself to look more presentable and faced Marie.

'What's wrong?'

'I told you: nothing.' He sighed, not finding the energy to push through his barriers and admit that he was, in fact, feeling something other than nonchalance.

'It doesn't sound much like nothing. Come on, you can talk to me.'

'I know.' Marie waited, letting Levi conquer his own battles before admitting them to her. Slowly, the layers peeled off and he began to speak but the words that left his mouth were ones that he had never even realised he was thinking of.

'Nile's a bastard.'

'Excuse me?' Marie's eyes were widened in shock. She had heard Levi's remarks towards her husband in abundance but he usually was polite enough to disguise them like ladies did their gossip.

'He's a bastard. If it wasn't for him, I'd be fighting now. Or, at least, coming home by Erwin's side. I wasn't made to be a fucking housewife and look at me now, sitting around waiting for my husband to come back. This is all fucking Nile's fault. He's not even a good king. He doesn't give a shit about those below him. He doesn't know what it feels like to be at the fucking bottom so he doesn't give a single fuck. At least Erwin would care.'

'You're wrong about Nile not caring.'

'Then why the fuck is he treating my people like shit!?' Levi roared, the venom lacing his lips, masking his hurt with anger.

'Your people? Levi, I know you didn't grow up a lord but they aren't your people.'

'Then who the fuck else is going to help them? Because it seemed you won't. Erwin would like to but is as naive as the rest of you. And the king, in all his might glory, does not give a single shit about what happens to them and I will not let him be their leader.' Levi panted, regaining his breath as all his withheld thoughts poured out like water from a jug. He didn't dare look Marie in the eye, wondering what she must be feeling.

What would he feel if someone had said those things about Erwin?

Levi wasn't sure why she hadn't wrapped her hands around his throat yet.

'Levi, I want you to tell me what's wrong.' She said cautiously, her words slow and languid. 'This isn't normal. What happened?'

'Nothing happened!'

'Don't.' She warned as his temper flared again.

Seconds passed. 'Sorry.'

'You should be.' She didn't acknowledge that this was the first apology he had ever given her. Levi also didn't have the heart to tell her that everything he had just said was true and not a spur of the moment idea. He had been mulling over it for years, ever since Nile had been crowned king. But, he couldn't break his friend's heart like that.

With anyone else, this conundrum would have been so easy to solve. He could have stalked off, a prying smile on his face at his achievement. He preferred physical out-lashings to verbal ones but in the end, they did the same job. And sometimes mental left them with a bigger scar than any sword could.

But this was Marie. His friend. His only friend. He had taught himself to protect her and also to restrain himself when it came to making her own choices (he was still bitter that she had chosen Nile as a husband, king or not).

So, instead of leaving with a smile, he left with a frown. Not willing to admit that something was wrong because by now, he had to agree. This was all wrong.

Marie stared wistfully at the trail he left behind and dug herself deep into the sofa, letting herself loose without the company of another. All her put-togetherness fazed into a sloppiness that few people knew she could achieve. She didn't want to admit that she was curling up on herself because she was afraid and not for warmth, which the fire was already providing. She didn't want to say she was afraid of Levi because she wasn't. She was simply afraid of what he could do. What the possibilities of his future were. Because Levi was strong. Stronger than any man she had known- including her own husband. But with that strength came two paths, good or evil. As simple as that. Levi remained on the field between them, glancing between the two with equal disdain but soon enough he would fall into one of them. And as of late, Marie had seen him only staring at the wrong one. 


	6. Shadows

_'One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived'_

**Erwin's Castle,**

**2nd February, 1005**

It had been months and Levi had still not escaped Erwin's thoughts. Days after days of believing he was in the wrong, Erwin had finally accepted that he had, in fact, done nothing wrong at all but go farther than he was meant to. This did nothing to help his lament.

February came quicker than expected, though, and Erwin's melancholy remained, his promise to move on null and void. Erwin was someone that, once found, would not let something go. It was his to have.

That may have explained his lack of success in gaining a wife.

And yet another problem appears. Although people had no qualms about his preference of a male suitor, it gave way to a larger problem of his lack of heirs. Ignoring a few distant relatives that Erwin had scarcely met, Erwin was the last of his line and as much as he knew, Levi was too.

Somehow irrationality beat reason, though. No matter the negatives of their relationship, Erwin was devout, raven hair and steel eyes ingrained into his skin like a tattoo.

Nonetheless, Erwin had a promise to fulfil and even if his devotion lay elsewhere, it would be a woman he would find. For his father, he would have an heir and continue the line- at the sacrifice of his own happiness if need be.

Somewhere, he still had hope that he could find the perfect woman. Dark hair, light eyes and a frame small enough to fit his standards. He sighed. He already knew who the description fit.

At his desk, the ink on the end of the quill dripping onto the blank page. A letter, to whom he was still unsure. Although, surely in the back of his mind he knew that it was aimed at the man that had taken his heart.

He gritted his teeth and stood, sending a shaky hand through his hair, mussing the perfect form. It was still early and he had plenty to do but already he looked as exhausted as he would be at midnight.

That was to say that sleep had not come to him the previous night.

Fear still clutched as his skin, latching on without fail. Guilt followed it, encircling and strangling him and soon, drenched in sweat with Paranoia by his side, he had given up on the idea of sleep altogether.

On shaky legs, he clambered to the door, his clothes weighing heavily on his back, curving his spine to look like a haggard beggar rather than the royal lord he was. Although, he was sure that he would be the only one to notice the difference. People told him he was impervious to emotion, a stone when everyone around him was water- unmoving. Erwin wished he could claim differently but he knew that he was the only one to see his sunken eyes and terror-inducing nightmares.

Only Paranoia saw the true him.

No one stopped to look at him as he made his way down the winding corridors and into the dining room, a warm meal already on the table as if someone had foreseen the departure from his room. He ate slowly and arduously, the effort feeling tremendously harder than before. Each chew was another ache in his jaw and soon his fingers were cramping around the cutlery.

Pushing away from the table, he rushed out, unwilling to look back at the pile of food that still remained on his plate, staring at his flushed hands and the broken nail on his left hand where he had tapped it too hard against the table.

He made his way to the parlour with his mind still buzzing. Thoughts zapped back and forth and any sort of decision making escaped him. What he was supposed to make a decision on, anyway, seemed ambiguous.

He skimmed the shelves and finally found himself a book that he had not read a thousand times before and rested his whole body, his feet tucked neatly at the end, on the sofa. Even after half an hour of turning pages, he had found no enjoyment in the book- the constant references to botany something he had no interest in and the plot surrounding it little more than a dull tale of a single man lamenting about his loneliness.

Erwin dropped the book and the decision came as suddenly as the book hit the floor. He was not going to be the old haggard man of the book, wallowing in loneliness until some poor maiden was forced to marry the man for his riches. No, he would seek it himself. The determination was something that he hadn't felt in months and he revelled in the easiness of his stomach, no longer clenching at the mere thought of that man.

Tucking the book back in place, Erwin fixed himself. The awkward flick of his hair was reverted to its usual place and his outfit was smoothed out against his rigid posture, something worthy of the military he was apart of.

Within the hour, he had returned to his office and written over a dozen letters, inviting as many maidens as he could do to his castle. Finally, he was accepting his role as a suitor and although it was unconventional to bring the women to him, he was sure that they would allow it if it would fill their pockets with gold. Erwin was not blind enough to think they would come for anything else.

The party was held within the week, Erwin's charm bringing in far more than he had first hoped for. With a splendid spectrum to choose from, even the butterflies in his stomach had quelled to leave some sort of masculine impassiveness. Erwin had no care for what woman was to take his side as long as she suited him in the way that he suited him.

He knew what he was looking for already; he just needed it a bit more...feminine.

For all his good characteristics, though, came the bad. Erwin envied the men that managed to sit on their private throne with a line of girls in front of them without feeling a little queasy at the imbalance of it all. Even if women had the choice of whether to take a route of military or family, it was still unfair that it was one or the other whilst men had the luxury of both. And after all that, the woman did not choose their family but merely had to look after it, the power stripped of them as soon as they had been sold off to a man for enough to settle their fathers' worry.

The line Erwin stared at was around two dozen, the ladies all vying for his attention, their chests out and their heads held proudly- or in some cases, the opposite, in which he could notice the fathers, who stood in a line themselves at the back, scowling at their daughters in warning of a punishment that was going to come later.

Standing, he scanned the crowd, pacing up and down, giving each girl enough attention for them not to leave with a heavy heart. Giving each and every one enough hope that their self-esteem did not shatter. But, as he walked, he knew that none of them were going to interest him in the slightest.

Too many blondes. Too many that looked like him. In small groups, he sent them out, leaving only two girls remaining. Both were unique in their own ways, one with her long dark hair that reminded Erwin of a familiar face and another, whose looks couldn't be described as beautiful nor graceful but the mere aura of the woman was something that Erwin could not deny himself.

Only one man stood at the back, the father that looked very much similar to his daughter, the black hair and dark eyes the exact same shade. Erwin did not question the other girl for her lack of a guide but did wonder what the exchange was to be between them if he chose her.

'What is the price for this girls hand in marriage.' Erwin called to the man, his voice echoing throughout the ballroom.

'Merely five pieces of gold.' The man stuttered, his head bowed as if he was praying and not selling his daughter.

'What is your name, Lord?'

'Lord Walter.'

'I have never heard such a name.'

'Our family is not rich by any means and my Lord title does not mean much but we are an honourable family, I assure you. My daughter, Lily, is sweet and kind as well as beautiful.'

'I can see that.' Erwin replied, resisting the urge to tell him to stop advertising his daughter like an object. Although, it was clear that he cared for her more than most fathers did and he was humble enough to admit that they were not as rich as the other ones pretended to be.

'And it is a pleasure to meet you, Lily.' He took her hand and pressed his lips to the back, a charming smile playing at his face and looking at her pale skin, he could almost imagine that it was another's.

'And what is your name?' He asked, turning to the other girl, astounded by the ethereal superiority she held by just looking at him. He was transfixed in a way that made his hair stand on end and his breath catch. Even if she was not someone he could fall in love with, she was most definitely someone he would awe at.

'Hanji.' Erwin almost reeled back at the voice. So normal, so lower-class, with an excitement that was so true that it almost made it unbelievable.

'That is not a name I have heard before.' Erwin's eyebrows furrowed in question, looking over the girl again to check whether she was real. Whilst Lily would make a beautiful and great housewife, Hanji was something that would challenge him. Erwin could not deny that he enjoyed a challenge.

His mind was split evenly.

'My mother thought it was fitting for a girl like me.'

'How so?'

'She thought that I should have a unique name.' The girl shrugged as if having nothing more to say and took a step back, letting Erwin make his choice. Looking between the two, Erwin realised that he was more split than ever. To make the safe choice, Lily would be perfect and Erwin could truly imagine a life with her, children with her, the domestic side of her. But, Hanji was another life form, something foreign and unique, something that Erwin could not draw away from. She was a goddess, even if it was her presence that outweighed her beauty.

'I have decided,' Erwin announced suddenly, watching both girl's eyes rise in hope, the light flickering in the midday sun. 'That I will court you both if you will allow me to. You are both beautiful, kind women and whether I take your hand or not, I would love to get to know you better.' Lily smiled, warmly and with veiled shock whilst Hanji looked little more than pleased- knowing.

'Lord Walter, if you and your daughter would like to be shown to your rooms, I will show Hanji's to hers, I did not expect to have more than one girl to show to her room.' The pair nodded and rushed out, flustered, whilst Hanji fixed her posture as well as her dress- barely a thin cloth to cover her body- and let Erwin lead her to her parlour whilst another room was readied.

'What made you come here, Hanji?' He asked, crossing his legs and leaning back into the chair. She sat opposite, rigid but relaxed all at once, her presence never-moving and her confidence unwavering.

'I thought it was time to find a husband and you are as good as any.'

'So I'm just another Lord, am I?'

'Of course.' He could not deny that he was impressed by the lack of respect (although, he had to admit that it was not her that had drawn him towards the characteristic) feeling far more pleased than aggravated.

'You are something special, Hanji. Although, I am still curious about your name. Is it short for something or is that its original form?' He asked, leaning forward as she saw a wicked grin pass her features.

'It comes from Hecate.' Her lips curved further, the devious grin making Erwin's heart beat faster than it did on the battlefield. He could not determine whether the feeling was beneficial or not.

'Hecate, that name sounds familiar.'

'Yes, plenty of people know of me. I'm sure it’s for my work in science. Although, please don't tell them that you know me. It always brings unwanted attention.' Erwin could not argue and nodded easily, still eager to solve the puzzle that was this woman.

'Science?'

'Yes, I worked in medicine for a long time. I have always been interested in the effectiveness of herbal medicines and I have been trying to find a more effective treatment. Although, it seems that I would need magic to make anything that was of any use.' The words set Erwin no more at ease, the grin growing into a toothy smile that would have looked innocent if it had been Lily who had graced him with it. Hanji looked like she could rip his throat out with her teeth.

'Sir,' His thoughts were interrupted as Mina rushed into the room, her black hair falling messily out of their bunches, 'the room has been prepared, I can escort her if you wish.' Mina panted for breath as she regained her composure and paced to get Hanji to her room after Erwin gave his permission.

Erwin revelled in the silence it left behind, calmed by the wind-rattled windows and the gentle hum as it seeped through the cracks in the old, stone walls. It was not long before he retired back to his study with a heavy sigh, wiping down his face with his hands as if to rid himself of the grime of the day.

Today had been tiresome albeit a step in the right direction. Erwin felt like he was cheating the girls by doing this at all. In love with another man and courting two ladies. Wasn't it always the way that he had to break as many hearts as possible just to save his own?

He wasn't a selfish man, not by any account but there was something there that felt selfish. Something that felt like he was doing this for himself and not the black-haired man from a whole other area of the country.

He was sure if he were to ask Levi, he would tell Erwin he was being stupid. Probably slap him. No, he'd probably run away. Just as he did before. Erwin felt his heart pound his chest at the memory. It had all been going so well and then in the click of his fingers, all the water seeped through and fled. He couldn't grasp it, no matter how hard he tried. It just wasn't working.

So he decided to find another batch, no matter how false it felt in his hands.

Sleep was hard to come by that night. He was so tempted to go and wake Hanji, talk further about her herbal remedies and other aspects of life. Because no matter how little Erwin felt towards he romantically, something about her made him unable to step away. Beauty in its most unnatural form and love in the form of awe. It was close enough, wasn't it? He could pretend. Maybe just for a second.

In the darkness of the night, Lily flashed before his eyes and he felt guilty all over again. His fascination with Hanji was dragging him away from the suitable girl, the lovely one, the kind one and the clearest choice. But since when had Erwin ever made the conventional choice? Erwin liked to play games and he liked to win them. That alone required unconventional methods.

He could feel the gracing touch on his shoulder and flinched again. The shadow was as cold as a ghost as it brushed against him with the tenderness of a mother towards a child. He shut his eyes but hiding it from view never hid it from mind. It only grew closer and the shaking grew more prominent.

Why was Paranoia always the one at his side? Why was it the one that never left him? Of all the people he'd met, of all the things he'd done, Paranoia was the one that never left. Even in memory, it was implanted, never to be forgotten.

His eyes snapped to the door as it rattled, the wind still, Paranoia clutching his shoulder tighter, it's lips grazing his ear. Begging him to just 'look', look at what's out there, look at what's coming for him. 'There are strangers in the house. They could be up to anything.' He shut his eyes again to no avail, the voice didn't leave. It was more prominent than ever, the lilt to its voice so clear now that he could hear it in the silence. His voice. It was his voice.

He wanted to shout at it, tell it to run, to hide but his voice was too much confirmation. A confirmation of madness and lunacy. Erwin wouldn't give into that. No, he was just a man that had voices in his head.

Why it was so much clearer now was a mystery. It was as if something was controlling him. The grip on him was no longer gentle but controlling, with little change to their grip at all. But, oh, it was that slightest change in grip that made all the difference.

He looked down and stilled at the realisation that he was sitting up rather than lying down as he had been doing just a second ago. He hadn't moved muscle. Had he? He didn't remember it, not at all. Brushing his sandy hair from his face, he let his hand grip onto the strands with unequal fervour.

Fear relaxed next to him but he couldn't stop the rigid muscles that were refusing him movement. Something was wrong. Something that was new tonight. Hanji. He blinked, the name coming to his head like a flickering flame. There one moment and gone the next, the residual memory hard to cling onto. As if...as if someone was forcing it away.

Falling back to his bed, Paranoia fighting the movement, he tried to remember what had passed his mind. Who had he assumed had done this? Was it poison. It wasn't Lily and it wasn't...Hanji. Hanji!

Who?

Sorcery was nothing that Erwin believed in but the strain on his mind was so similar to the curses people warned him of. Something today had happened and he couldn't remember. He shook again, the silk blanket doing nothing to soften his taut muscles. The warmth ran away and left a biting cold of a soldier's winter night- outside with nothing but a woollen blanket. But he was inside now. Was this just a memory? How he wished it was a dream. How much better it would be if it were a dream.

Sleep succumbed to him with Fear wrapped up in his embrace and Paranoia watching from afar, only enough for the back of his brain to scream at him. 'Look. Look, Erwin. Look.'

It soon became a buzz in the background like an alarm that had gone on for so long that it could send you back to sleep again. But, even in the darkness of sleep, Fear created its havoc. Nightmares shook him and dreams poisoned him with false hope. All for him to wake up in the morning with no more sleep than he would have had if he'd just stayed up.

Pushing himself from the plush mattress, he stumbled to the mirror- an ornate, gold mirror that the king had gifted him- checking the bags under his eyes to reel back as he saw the pools of black that indicated his chaotic sleep.

His eyes darted to the window, Paranoia's shadow a mere whisper. 'Look. Look.' Outside, the sun had risen and glorified the green landscape with the little colour it needed to make the bland British fields look tropical. He could see the stables from here, the horses of all different sizes and colours chewing whilst the stable master petted there manes.

It calmed Erwin. To an extent, at least. There was something so...mundane about the act. Like it was a memory that had long since been shadowed by more important, more menacing things. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. All those little things that were so normal, so expected had suddenly become a surprise.

It was his penance, he assumed. He may have been a strategist, one of the most clever men in England but no one could escape fate. No matter how much he tried, bending the rules for himself would only end up on them wrapping back around and onto him.

The knock on his door shocked him enough for him to fall towards the window and away from the mirror, his veined hands gripping hard at the white windowsill. 'Come in!' He called out without looking back, focusing on the luscious green fields outside, trying to find anything more than the simplicity of grass within its texture. Anything that would brighten his day. Anything that would let him escape from the descending state of his mind. He was a bright mind but like all bright minds, he fell into darkness easily enough. Thoughts plagued him as much as the next man and although he would never admit it, there had been instances enough when he had broken down and shed tears.

The door creaked open awkwardly, the wood scraping against the floor with a painful hiss and Mina stepped inside. Erwin knew it was her without even looking back: the light tread of her feet and the way that she always breathed a pace faster than the rest, like she anxious more often than not.

The two hours of restlessness dawned on him as he finally spun his head around and looked down at Mina, who was carefully twiddling her dress between her thumbs. 'What?' He sighed, wanting to be far more irritated than he was but finding nothing but exhaustion making it through the mask.

'It is breakfast, sir. The two ladies are already waiting.' He spun his head back to the window in astonishment to find that he had, indeed, misread the time. The sun was already clear into the sky. He had been up at dawn. Yet, he couldn't remember a moment between the two.

He ushered Mina out frantically before throwing his outfit for the day on, not caring that his shirt was barely buttoned, it was covered by his coat anyway. Despite the slack he had put into his dress, he still deemed himself presentable as stared himself down in the mirror cruelly.

Pushing open the door, he wound through the castle until he made it to the breakfast table where an assortment of fruits and oats lay before him. Erwin made it a habit not to eat too much at breakfast. Although he needed energy, often a lot of it if he was going to do any kind of sword-fighting or military practice, he aimed to not become like other men with round beer-bellies and an astounding lack of muscle. Food was still scarce, anyway. This was the time of year where peasants were left to die and although Erwin wished he could do something, he was not willing to give up his own luxury without more of a plan than go to each family personally and deliver them what could only constitute as a few days of food. He knew because he had calculated it before.

He took his seat at the head of the table and quickly called everyone to meal, droning out the quiet chatter with clattering silverware and chewing mouths. Lily attempted, in her own shy way, to talk to him but he could only find the energy to give her short, diminished answers. He hoped that by midday that this mood would alleviate and although he wasn't one for false hope, he crossed his fingers under the table, wishing for once that he did believe in a god.

Hanji, on the other hand, did not say a word. She held her head low and ate in a way that clearly followed the rules of etiquette whilst still remaining an aura of savagery around it. Just another thing to add to the list of ever-growing questions in Erwin's mind.

After breakfast finished, Erwin retired to his room to rest before the oncoming day and although he knew sleep was far away by now, he admitted that the peace was somewhat relaxing. He had sent the girls to the gardens, shown around by the servants, to keep them occupied for the meantime whilst he gathered his wits.

He knew by the time the rapping came to his door that it was time that he entertained them himself, picking one for the day whilst the other for the evening. He had a few days to choose but somehow he felt like the deadline was drawing close already, the clock ticking faster than ever. The grip tightened on his shoulder.

He picked to spend the day with Lily, first, wishing to get to know her better. Being the better choice, he wanted to open up her personality so he saw more than just the shy girl who was led by her father. He always wanted to see what was under the mask, a deference from his own hidden personality. Although he didn't claim it was not hypocritical, he found no error in his ways. If anything, it made people more comfortable, talking about themselves, that is. Few people really needed to know who he was and he didn't want them to. Whilst everyone else wanted him to know about them. It was easy enough to sustain. People always loved the mysterious and he had no qualms in being the enigma in the room.

'Lily, it is nice to see you again.' He smiled, leaning down to press his lips to the back of her palm. He didn't let go of her hand as she waved her father off and let Erwin lead her to the gardens once again. 'I'm sorry to take you back to the same place,' he apologised 'but I always find that the gardens calm me. They are a good place to think.'

'They are beautiful.' She complimented, staring in awe at the winding, tall trees that protected the exotic flowers below them as if she had not seen it all before. Erwin was glad. If there was one thing that he did like, it was someone who recognised beauty and if he were to be vain, he knew that his gardens were one of the most beautiful in the country. Men didn't often care for their gardens until their wives came to them. For whatever reason, Erwin was unsure but it was a fair assessment- he had seen it enough times.

'So, Lily, tell me a bit about yourself. I didn't have as much of a chance as I hoped to have to ask you more about yourself.' He controlled his words with perfect precision, his mask easy but still retaining the mystery that he needed to exude.

'Um, well,' She began, her high voice quiet and anxious. 'My family, we became part of the nobility after my sister married and-'

'Lily, I would like to hear more about you, not your family.' He smiled down at her, wishing to reassure her. He hated the way so many men looked down upon women patronisingly and although he was treading carefully around her, he didn't want to treat her like a child. Even if she was only a teenager. Or, at least, he assumed, given her looks.

'Oh, well then. I'm not sure where to start.'

She giggled lightly to herself as if she were alone and not with him and the thought comforted him. From under the shade of the trees, he'd wish for anything that would make him less taut and uncomfortable. A facade took energy to maintain and although he was almost certain he would never be comfortable letting it down, he'd at least like to have the ability to show something of himself to someone who may become his wife.

His mystery was his curse. He wanted to let someone know what was there, in his heart. All that good, all that evil. A man torn by war. He'd only gone to battle a few times and every time he had been plagued with another death on his hands. Every time he slept, he remembered the blood and the screams of a boy torn apart by a sword. His friends, even.

But nonetheless, he was chosen to lead so many of them. They told him his strategy was impeccable and it would be nonsense to send him away from a leadership role. Soldiers would die without him there. But, as he rode on a horse through the marshlands of neighbouring states, all he felt was the burden of his men's lives on his shoulders. Each death was his to hold.

He was a man that killed without being there and a man that killed when he was. A born warrior, bred and taught to kill. He was the perfect soldier. Except for one factor, emotions. No one ever took them into account. Perfect physique, perfect rationality but emotions that were unbridled, untamed. He was wild in his thoughts. A revolutionary. He could take down the state with ease but only did not for the consequences that it held. When the opportunity arose, he was sure that everyone knew that he was a contestant for the throne.

'Erwin?' He snapped out of his reverie at the sound of Lily's voice. She had placed her pale hand on his shoulder and was gently shaking him. He had stopped without noticing, it seemed, the two pairs of footsteps they were leaving in their wake fading into a single pair that looped back around on themselves on the way back.

'I'm so sorry, Lily. My thoughts overtook me. Continue on.' He apologised, hoping that the lame statement would not raise any questions. She didn't seem like a girl to complain. In fact, she looked ecstatic to be in the running for his hand but he still didn't like the idea of the girl leaving simply because of a small mistake. A small, reoccurring, mistake.

'Quite the daydreamer, Lord Smith.' She teased, batting her eyelids at him and although he felt no flutter in his stomach as he should have, he appreciated the innocence of it. Just as he appreciated the beauty of nature, he could appreciate the beauty of humanity too. There was a reason he fought for them.

'Quite. So, as we were saying, what are you like? Any hobbies?' He asked, hoping to further the conversation with a less broad statement, she still seemed shy in giving out information.

'Oh, well, yes. Sewing, actually. I don't mean to boast but I must say I'm rather good at it.'

'Really? Maybe I should make you my tailor and not my wife?' Maybe pushing further than he was supposed to might push her out of her shell and not into it.

'Well, I hope not.' She whispered back and Erwin realised that error, searching for the words to take back his previous error.

'I would never, Lily. You are too beautiful for that.' What he said was true but he could help but feel the lie thick on his lips. If he were honest, he would much rather take her as his tailor. She was someone he wished so desperately to be friends with but felt nothing more.

He wondered if Hanji would be the same.

If this was all just a stupid mistake.

'Thank you.' She murmured, her head bowed and staring at her feet. Like she wished to be buried in the ground.

'Lily,' he reassured, turning to face her and lifting her slim chin with his calloused fingers. 'Do not doubt yourself.' He tried, hoping that the words would break through. Of course, he should have known, flattery was not going to be of any help. He was a Lord who was looking for a wife, he was- in society's norms- above her. He was there to shower her with false compliments to reel her in and take her for his. How was he supposed to show his intentions were otherwise?

'I'm stating the truth. You are beautiful and kind and lovely. You should not doubt that you are. You are truly a brilliant person.' He tried again, hoping that repetition might drive it in.

'You are a great flatterer.' She complimented but it only frustrated him further.

'I am not flattering you. I am stating the truth. And I mean that. Anything is to happen from here on out but above all, I want us to be equals and I want you to be okay with that.' He tried his best to keep his voice as stern as possible. Not chiding, not patronising but strong enough to show that he really did mean as he said. And he was glad to find that it at least slipped through one of the cracks.

'Thank you-'

'Call me Erwin, you seem to be struggling to do so.' He smiled down at her, taking his fingers from her chin and releasing them down to his sides.

'Thank you, Erwin.' She smiled, truly this time, with no restraint and Erwin found himself smiling back at will. It was contagious, how was he not to? This was what he had been looking for. The true Lily. The girl behind the mask: the smile.

They returned to the castle hours later, hand in hand. They had gravitated towards each other uncontrollably and more and more, Erwin was realising that he could never take this girl as his wife. She was a friend, someone he would even be happy to be alongside in battle- although he couldn't ever imagine her wielding a sword- and after hours of talking he realised that.

The feeling unsettled him. His mind nagged at him that Hanji would not be different. His heart was already devoted to one man, he could not try and force it towards another woman, regardless of beauty or kindness.

'Lily, it was a pleasure to spend the day with you.' He bowed gracefully, pressing his lips to the back of her palm, wishing he could simply shake her hand or give her a hug with no underlying message. But, the world was ever working against the people that lived on her- he would just have to make do with the situation at hand.

Lily scurried off with a smile, leaving Erwin alone in the main hall where he would meet Hanji within the next hour. What he was meant to do to fill the time was a mystery. He was in no mood for exercise or creativity, leaving his options unbearably thin.

His body begged for sleep but the vice grip on his shoulder indicated that was yet another thing that he was not in the mood for. He attempted to breathe, raggedy and harsh but breathing nonetheless. His eyes darted around the room, checking for hidden shadows or flickers of light.

Empty. Nothing. So why was it still screaming at him to 'Look!'

'Erwin?' He snapped his eyes away from the floor and tried to regulate his heartbeat and breaths as Hanji bounded down the stairs, her dress swaying gently despite her lightning-fast movement.

'Hanji! How are you doing? Well, I hope.' He smiled and failed to wither under her harsh gaze.

'Of course, Erwin. Although, I cannot be sure that the same applies to you.'

'I am perfect. Especially now that you are here.'

'Flattery will get you nowhere with me, my Lord.' She taunted, brushing her shoulder against his with a wicked smile and swaggered off, similarly to a man wearing armour like the dress was made of iron and not silk. Her hair, although perfectly arranged, was a scattered, bits sticking out where they were clearly supposed to whilst fighting against gravity in a show of unbelievable magic.

If Erwin were to describe her look, he could only find that single word that kept plaguing him. Ethereal. She was no goddess nor was she a woman of magic but the aura around her was glowing white whilst everyone else's trailed them on the ground in a blur of grey and black.

'Where would you like to go first?' He asked, trailing behind her, his shoes clattering loudly against the floor. He looked down to see the Hanji was, in fact, wearing heavy shoes, boots in fact. Yet, there was not a single sound vibrating the floor as she moved. Like she was gliding rather than walking. But, with every step, her feet hit the floor.

Erwin knew that people viewed him as a mystery but it felt like a dense perspective when Hanji was in front of him. A true enigma. The puzzle that can never be solved.

She led him to the ballroom, throwing a wild smile at the lone man that sat with a lute in the corner. 'If I were to guess, I'd say this is planned.' Erwin teased, gracing her with a gentle smirk as he followed her hand onto the dance floor.

'Sometimes order is much better than chaos.' Their hands interlocked and she brought him to her, despite her inferior height, with decent strength. It was now that knew that Erwin had already made his choice. Which one to choose. It always seemed like such an arduous question but he found that it was nothing more than an acceptance. He had chosen Hanji from the start. Lily was lovely. But she was just that. Hanji was like fire, burning her way through life like a mad-woman. And, if anything, Erwin wanted a wife that could have an adventure.

'For some reason, I have a feeling that you do not live by this rule.'

'Oh, not at all. Chaos is far more fun.' She laughed maniacally and finally gave in letting him lead the dance, the gentle strum of the lute almost inaudible as their feet tapped around the marble floors.

Evening turned to night and, although they had not danced the entire evening, their feet ached and they were strewn exhaustedly over the chairs in the dining hall. He was glad to see that Lily and her father had been fed, although he pitied that the girl knew that he had missed dinner for another woman. But, nonetheless, he and Hanji were scraping the leftovers, the food having gone cold and picked at by the hungry servants.

Erwin felt the buzz of the wine in the back of his mind but ignored it as he watched Hanji greedily scavenge the roast chicken for any little bit of meat, small bit stuck under her stubby fingernails. Erwin laughed but she didn't look up, continuing to survey the chicken with far too keen an interest.

'If you'd like, I can get another chicken for you.' He teased, her head finally poking out from behind the chicken, her eyes still squinted. She smiled humorously but didn't say a word as she pushed back her chair with a deafening squeal and left the room with a flurry.

'I had a nice night, Erwin.' She complimented before running out, leaving him a little shocked and utterly alone. The moon hung high in the sky, enough that it barely peeked through the edges of the window, and he was left in the dark. The flickers of the candlelight did little to light the room around him but it was enough for him to stumble deliriously down the corridor and to his room.

He plummeted to his bed with a heaving sigh, looking out at the ink sky. He breathed, in - out, in - out, but it did nothing to quell the anxiety that was creeping up on him as the thought of sleep.

Deliberating that sleep would not do him any good, he quickly made his way to his desk and brought out some parchment and ink. Slowly, like a madman in a cell, he began to paint. The ink spilt messily but he didn't care as he drew the shapes he saw in the sky. It was black out there, the stars barely in sight, hidden away behind the thick cloud that came with the impending rain.

He scribbled again, filling in each and every gap with the thick black until the page was soaked through. He blinked. Clearing his eyes a little, he stared down at the page and wondered how he'd gotten there in the first place. The last hour seemed a blur.

It was raining outside. It hadn't been raining before. He had been drawing a clear sky, the windowpane free of any obscuring droplets. He stared down back at the page, a blur of ink tainting the blank canvas. Ink stained his calloused fingers and tears of black were scattered down his arm, staining his white linen shirt.

Paranoia grasped him like a doll, shaking him. 'Look. Look!' He ignored it, refusing to turn his head and see the nightmare behind him. He refused to look at the thing that breathed down his neck. His hairs stood on end and his heart pumped painfully in his chest.

He breathed, in - out, in - out. The calm didn't encase him like it should, instead Fear substituted it with a smile, wrapping itself around him until his breaths came shallow, his lungs crushed with every beat of his heart.

Turning over the ink-sodden page, the blank canvas on the other side stained with a shadow of grey. He put the ink to good use again and began to draw, this time his head all but blank.

He couldn't remember what he'd been doing before or why or what was becoming of him. This was the first signs of a madman, a man possessed by the witches that reigned supreme. But, he didn't believe in any of that. He didn't believe in magic or in deities. Nothing could control him.

So, what had just happened?

The ink swirled around the page, pooling where it dripped too far through the parchment, but made the defined shapes he wished for. It was him, for what it was worth (his artistic prowess had never been good), standing with a shadow either side. Him and his two shadows, the ones that always tailed him. Fear, with its loving arms wrapping him in its embrace. And Paranoia, its mouth open as it screamed: 'Look. Look!' Always look. Never run. Look.

He pushed the page to the side with a growl, his palm smudging the ink until the two shadows were barely able to be told apart from the figure that represented himself. Burrowing his face in his palms, he tried to think of something to pass the time that wouldn't take any strain nor mental capacity and found nothing but sleep.

He soon gave in and collapsed into bed with a heave, wrapping himself in the silk, hoping the comfort would be enough to trap out the fiercely hot embrace or the deathly cold touch of his shadows.

He may have slept that night but he still woke with the greasy fingerprints of his friends on his body.

-

Three days passed and Erwin did his best to persuade himself of the right decision. All in all, his efforts failed and he stood expectedly in the morning breeze with both girls ahead of him. Lily already looked defeated and for that he was sorry but there was nothing he could do now.

'I am sorry, Lily. I am telling the truth when I say that I wish for you to visit again. You are already a dear friend.' He spoke honestly, the guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders as she deflated, the glint of hope in her eyes that only thing stopping him from being crushed.

'I thank you for allowing me to stay here. And I would love to return. Thank you, Erwin. You are a great friend too.' Her father didn't say a word as he stepped forward and shook Erwin's hand before striding out of the hall with his head held high, his diminished daughter following behind.

'So, Hanji, you have won my favour,' he began, conversation slipping from his mind as he scrambled for words.

'Yes, I have. And, I cannot accept.' Erwin reeled back in shock as she gave him a smile like the raging winds of Autumn. 'I came here for a reason and although I cannot reveal those reasons, I must leave us here. I am glad you chose me, that's what I wanted. But, I know who you really want, Erwin. Go to him. You'll need him. Your future depends on it.' Her smile was lost under the pretence of dramatic seriousness and Erwin would have laughed at the sudden mood swing if he were not afraid of the consequences.

'I don't unders-'

'You don't need to. I'll leave you be. Write to him, court him. One day you will marry him. And then, the plan will be thrown into motion.'

'What plan?'

'You'll see.'

'Hanji! Stop this, you are acting like a mad woman!'

'Maybe I am. Just write to him, at least. I would not like to intervene again. This was of the utmost importance. Goodbye, Erwin.'

'Hanji!' But she had already fled through the doors, leaving Erwin without so many questions that he could barely paused for breath as he tried to delve into his mind to unpick the answers. For the master of strategy he was, he knew that this would remain a mystery.

Hanji, something was different about her. Something inhumanely different. Although he would never admit it, he knew she wasn't human. He would never accept that. And in the years that passed, he would forget the woman that he had meant to wed. A defence mechanism, to protect himself from his own mind.

Curiosity kills the king.

The day flew by without consequence. He ate alone, he read alone and he retired to his bedroom alone. His mind still raged with questions but he had already learnt to quell the noise to a buzz as he focused on the page before him. The mess of ink from the night before still lay on the edge of his desk, the scribbles reminding him of his tormented sleep- begging him not to fall back into the land of nightmares and lost memory.

Now, though, there was a blank piece of parchment. As Hanji had asked, Erwin planned to write Levi a letter. If only to do one last thing in memory of the woman who fled. Why couldn't he have just picked Lily? Why couldn't Hanji just be normal? Why was it always him who made the worst decisions with the best consequences?

'Dear Levi,' he began, the lack of last name awkward as his hand automatically went to write another word. Pausing, he searched through the wreckage of his mind for the words he wanted to use but found himself devoid of ideas.

With little other choice, he wrote the words on the tip of his tongue and formed something in-between an apology and a question. If not anything, it would give Levi the chance to explain himself, or refuse to. Either of which would calm Erwin's confusion.

Everything nowadays seemed like it was flying past him as he waded through the water. His grogginess was causing his mind to shut down and his body to follow. He wished, for once, that he'd had the sense to skip the last month and write this in the beginning. Who had he been fooling? With that thought, he added a final note, admitting to something (although, even he didn't quite know what it was) that he never thought he would. It felt nice, at least, to get it off his chest.

Sealing it in an envelope with a wax seal, he deliberated to send it out the next day, retiring to his bed and succumbing to sleep with surprising ease.

And although the nightmares still plagued him, he slept better than he had in weeks.


	7. Home

_'Ethics have no part in politics'_

**Northern England  
**

**4th December, 1012.**

The journey had become burdensome as well as tiresome. His feet burnt in his dripping shoes as the mud caked around his ankles, restricting his movement. Blisters clustered on his calloused hands, the grip on the reins loose. Erwin's usual perfect exterior was diminished to a suffering boy, caked in mud and blood, just like the rest of his crew.

He begged to be transported to his castle and be put in a bath but he knew there was no God to grant him his gift. It was him and him alone that could bring him home, blistered and tired as he was.

His horse hit the ground in heavy thuds, the mud splattering upwards, leaving long trails of hoof-prints behind them. The rest of his team were crowded around him, the cold, blistering wind punishing their chapped skin. The journey was silent, the wind whistling through the trees and the rustle of animals barely heard over their own breathing, the comforting lack of words allowing them all to lose themselves to their thoughts. Their minds were a grateful relief from the pain of the physical reality.

The path was beginning to die out, the next camp standing proudly in the Northern wasteland. It was designed to be a stopping point, halfway between the battlefield and the first town over the border, for soldiers to wash themselves down and care for their horses. Nile, for now, remained here for now too, or that was what the messenger had told Erwin, anyway.

The flags were held proudly on their masts, the white and red flag a taunt to the Scottish barely over the border. The tents matched the colours, the white cloth stained brown at their bottom, the rain of the day staining it to a yellowy-beige. Barely fit for a king. But Nile, for all his modesty, was not one to care about the state of his tent, nor his reputation for that matter, as long as those who were important held him above themselves, letting him sit comfortably in his throne, he was happy.

Erwin’s horse barely resisted the urge to canter, it’s hooves hitting the ground slightly faster at the sight of food and water, Erwin’s blisteringly tight grip on the reigns pulling it back from throwing him off.

They gathered where the stablemasters waited for them, standing tall as they saw their approach over the gentle hill. They had placed the camp, for practical purposes, down the left side of the valley, Scotland on their right, allowing them to monitor who was approaching- enemy or friend. Although, without reinforcements, it was clear that Nile was all too afraid about the bombardment that Scottish may have brewing up their sleeves. But at this time, so long after the final act of battle, it was evident that they were likely not going to perform a raid.

Erwin couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him as he freed his locked hip from the wide saddle of the horse. His feet hit the floor with a heavy thud and he led his team towards the congregation area, an enormous fire raging in the centre, a source for the rest of the warming fires that lay near the tents, barely far enough that the flames did not lick at the flammable cloth.

Erwin, his mask of nonchalance still placed firmly on his face, approached the king’s tent, dismissing his team to clean themselves and prepare themselves for the trip home. Here would be where they first split, those heading East and West splitting into two groups. Erwin, heading East, would lead a group of five whilst Nanaba led the other eight to the West and down the week-long journey down to places as far as Cornwall.

Erwin, thankfully, was closer to home than any of them. Levi was waiting barely a day away and he would meet him there tomorrow night, then handing over the group leadership role to the least tired in the group at the time. If he was feeling charitable, he may let them stay in the castle overnight but he wasn’t sure if he had the energy to play host, nor would Levi ever be affable enough to do it himself. He was sure that his team would not mind the lack of hospitality but word spread surprisingly quickly between the English noblemen and women.

The guard scurried away as soon as Erwin came into sight, his slightly panicked face sending a gentle, smooth smile onto Erwin’s face- enough for him to at least appear capable of emotions. So many people thought he was not nowadays. He was led into the tent by another servant, his robes ill-fitting on his young body, barely in the midst of puberty. Erwin wondered what he was doing here at all. But he’d seen boys far younger lay down their lives on the battlefield; any empathy he would have had years ago had dissipated into residing disappointment with the old king’s conscription age, one Nile had never had the effort the change, having barely fought himself. Nile, although doing what he believed was best, was out of touch and a pompous snob, even if he didn’t mean it. Nile, for all his shortcomings, made up for it by his lack of knowledge that he had them at all, his confidence glowing brightly until it was dampened by Erwin’s damp cloud.

Erwin strode in, head held high and shoulders pushed back militaristically. Nile sat on his throne, his posture relaxed but noble, his chin resting on his fisted hand, his elbow on the armrest, his legs crossed. The disgruntled look on his face was enough to tell Erwin that he was unwanted but he didn’t have the energy to save himself from a bad conversation.

‘I have to say, Erwin, you’ve outdone yourself.’ Erwin looked up at Nile’s words, his brows furrowed in confusion as Nile’s thin-lipped frown lifted into a gentle smile. ‘The Thane is gone, executed for treason. Or shall be in the next few hours. I’m here to give you your title, Thane of Cawdor.’ Erwin’s eyebrows raised imperceptibly, a small smile gracing his lips. The thought that this was all true was yet another thing to ease his tactical mind. He buzzed with possibilities but relaxed at one more loose end tied up.

‘Thank you, your majesty. I am honoured.’

‘Sometimes I wonder whether there’s a time when you are not so polite, Erwin. You never cease to surprise me with your formality.’

‘I hope it does not offend you.’

‘Oh, it does nothing of the sort. It rather intrigues me.’

‘I mean no confusion.’

‘And that is what’s so intriguing.’ Erwin nodded in defeat, his body shifting, unsettled by Nile’s words.

‘I thank you again, your Majesty.’ Nile’s face turned sour.

‘I do find it strange that I’m suddenly your majesty when we are not alone.’

‘I thought it preferable.’

‘It is but many slip on their tongues. You seem to do it with such ease.’

‘Am I really so much of an enigma?’ Erwin asked, his words perfectly formed and controlled. It was understandable that people found him so intriguing when he failed to slip on his words.

‘You are. You clearly are a man of power but unlike the others, you seem to have no motive to overthrow me.’

‘None of us do. We could not. You are the king.’

‘And you are one of the next in line.’

‘I do not expect to be king.’ Because he already knew he would be.

‘You should not, Hitch will take my position. But nevertheless, you are not fighting the decision.’

‘There is no need. I am loyal to you and only you. You are the king. This is your country.’

‘So loyal, Erwin. I sometimes do wonder if it’s all a facade.’

‘I pray you not to think so. I am loyal unto my death.’

‘I am glad.’ Erwin smiled, his perfect mask screaming to release his wicked grin. Ambition boiled within him. Thane now, King next. But what would it take? What would it take to overthrow the boy who held the throne? Just that, a boy. Against a man like him. A man versed in strategy and the rule of the battlefield, both of politics and war. Erwin held the skills whilst Nile held the power. Ethics were no part of politics, now was his chance to play his dirty moves.

Nile was destroying this country, slowly but surely. If not him, then Hitch- spoiled, young Hitch. Erwin would not stand for that, he knew that now. He would be king. He deserved to be king. He did not deserve it for power, nor fame but for the good of his people. He’d seen the slums, the snobbiness of the upper classes. He was from one, his husband from another. It would be effortless to bring the world together; bring England into harmony.

But, ‘Thane of Cawdor, I congratulate thee.’

‘Your majesty, I cannot receive a higher honour.’ King, king, king.

‘Dismissed.’ Erwin nodded and fled out, his feet controlled as his body pumped blood like blood from a wound, flowing and flowing until he was pale with the exertion.

Erwin scoured the camp with an urgency, finding his own personal tent, a gift from Nile- per what the guard informed him- where there was a small, but relatively comfortable, looking bed and a desk with a few plain pieces of parchment stacked up, a small vial of ink placed next to them. Thankful for the place to stay and the stationary he needed, he stripped himself of his top layers of armour and flung himself into the seat at the desk, in only a white tunic and mud-covered trousers. 

He began to write with fervour, his home-sickness as sudden as he had once lost it. It came as a surprise when his heart ached at the thought of returning to Levi. Maybe he’d just gotten used to having Levi with him, by his side, on these missions. The loneliness in his heart was palpable.   
He started from scratch as soon as he looked at the scrawl of his handwriting, realising that the incomprehensible dance of the letters would mean nothing to Levi. With a careful hand, he began to write again, his words as slow and thought-through as his speech.

 _Levi,_  
It will only be a day until I see you but I will send this letter out to you before I arrive. I want you to know the news before I arrive so you may think of this in private. I’m afraid to tell you in person in case there may be those who will overhear. Burn this letter once you have read it, I’m afraid I might be called a madman if someone else were to read this. I have chosen the most trust-worthy messenger to send you this.  
The battle is won but not without great struggle. Are armies are depleted to nothing and I can’t help but blame Nile for such a thing. My team were one of the only groups to survive as a whole; we were slaughtered out there.   
But, most prevalent was the events that occurred upon my return. The journey has been arduous but rewarding. I’m afraid to speak that your words may have caused me to believe the impossible. I was approached, alongside Mike, by three women. Odd. Like nothing I’d ever seen before. They chanted rhythmically and told me that I would become Thane of Cawdor and after that, King. I could not believe them but barely a few hours later, I was approached by a messenger.   
I have been crowned Thane of Cawdor.  
I have spoken to Nile and it is true, I have officially been given the position. The old Thane has been accused of treason and killed and I have taken his place.   
I try to show my loyalty to Nile but I can’t help but feel ambitious for us. Nile, as kind as he is, is blind to this country’s needs. And if these sisters are telling the truth, like they were before, then I could become King.  
We could fix this.  
I know we’ve talked about this before, albeit with a lack of sincerity. But now is our chance. I do not wish to kill Nile, I do not have that kind of strength to kill a friend but I cannot feel the guilt when I wish for his death.  
The country comes above the king: that is what he is missing. I think you understand, you have felt it yourself; this ambition burns in both of us. We can discuss upon my return but I would like to keep it secret.   
A meeting with three strange ladies in the woods would be enough to deem my loony. I know you believe in witches but I do not but to be associated with them, especially by believers, would be my undoing.  
I send my best wishes and will see you soon,  
Erwin.

He signed the final dot with a pleased smile, glad that the words made it onto the page. Waiting for the wet ink to dry before folding it and placing a seal on it, handing it to his own private messenger- a young lad who barely looked old enough to be on a horse but was loyal enough not to read Erwin’s private letters. 

When finished, he collapsed onto his bed. The days' events running through his mind in a blur. Everything suddenly seemed so prevalent and real. Erwin’s rationality was still battling his superstition. Those three women, so witch-like in description, had approached him and told him the future. What else could they be? But, of course, their guesses could be pure luck, or the occurrence of having an informant that would tell them before they got to Erwin.

But...they’re aura. It was so unlike anything he’d felt before.

He was not superstitious. He did not believe in the unbelievable. And he most certainly didn’t believe in auras. But there was something about them that was just so...magnificent. 

Burying his head into the straw-filled pillow and curling up in the unfamiliar warmth of the bed, the fire raging strong just outside, he fell into an exhausted sleep. And for what may have been the final time, he fell into a nightmare-less sleep.

-

Levi grips the letter tightly in his hands, his knuckles burning white in the orange glow of the flames. Red licked at his fingers, the dancing fire begging to cripple the letter and do its purpose but Levi’s grip held it just out of harms ways, his eyes darting over the words one final time. A time too many.

Erwin’s lack of fervour had Levi on edge. Erwin was ambitious and Levi would follow him to hell if need be; his current reluctance was surprising. Nile was a curse on England, Levi felt no remorse at the idea of ridding the country of him. A sword would do, just one slice, in his sleep. 

That was all it took. Simple. Finished.

Erwin could become king. 

But Hitch was already in the way. Did they kill her too? Do they kill a young girl for her father’s terrible actions? Does she deserve the justice and to pay penance for her father’s wrongdoing? Levi breathed in, slow and meaningful, finally letting the flames eat away the inky parchment, the black letters turning into molten splats, blood-like in their arrangement. 

Erwin would be back soon and that was enough to send some comfort to Levi. The days since Marie had left had been filled with isolation and boredom. He was no friend of the servants here, these were Erwin’s subjects.

Marie.

The name sparked a pang in his heart, her smile flooding his thoughts like a virus. Marie, imagine that smile once her husband was gone. Marie didn’t suit a frown; Marie suited nothing but happiness. Her husband deserved to live only to keep her happy. Marie and Hitch were innocent in this: mother and daughter, ignorant of their man’s mess. 

Levi still couldn’t muster a remorse, though. Despite the pain, he knew it would cause them, and for that he empathised, it was worth it. His patriotism didn’t run far but the knowledge that there was a chance to redeem this corrupted country excited his darkened mind.

He’d seen the slums, he’d lived in them. He’d seen what the rich stole, hidden away in their castles- just like him. But what were they doing to help? Whilst Levi was trying to save the people below him, they were trying to rid themselves of them. 

But that would never work. To get rid of the poor would only cause the poorest of the rich to take their place.

Levi sighed, his fingertips burning at the sensation of the fire’s anger. Drawing himself away from the glow, he stood up, placing the chair back in its place and pacing the room, his feet hitting the floor with heavy stomps as he let his anger flow. His mind reeled, thoughts spinning and tangling. 

He needed to talk to Erwin, that would solve his problems for the meantime. But what was he supposed to do now? Erwin was not expected for another twelve hours and even in good time, it would still be a few.

He couldn’t help but string the chain of events together. He could see it all before him; he could see Erwin’s disapproval, disappointment, when Levi told him. But Nile was with Erwin was he not? That meant he wasn’t far and what would it be to him if they invited him to the castle. It would only shorten his journey home to Marie and would allow him to talk more to Erwin about the new position. Everything was set in place effortlessly.

And when night fell and darkness plagued the sky with stars, Levi- or Erwin- could simply push a dagger into his chest before he could even scream out. Once the deed had been done, Levi could be the one to convince his family that they were in danger. To flee to Ireland, they could be sheltered there. 

Leaving the throne wide open.

It was not his intention for the wicked smile to grace his lips like a witch’s blood-thirsty grimace. ‘God, forgive me.’ Levi whispered up at the sky, sighing, forcing the smile back and replacing it with his usual nonchalant frown- the perfect mask. 

Levi, in spite of his plan, found himself pacing again. It wasn’t long until night bled into day and then another sunrise sent searing light into his blood-shot irises, the circles under his eyes more prominent than ever. The trampling of the horses was a grateful reprieve from his worries, the idea of being able to talk to Erwin a comfort.

The clatter became a faint murmur as the rest of Erwin’s group headed onwards whilst he gave the reins over the stable-master and came in, ragged and tired, his usually pristine condition tarnished by mud and gore. ‘Levi.’ He smiled, letting out a sigh of relief and wrapping Levi into a gentle embrace, Levi’s head resting gently against his thudding heart.

‘We should get out the way of prying eyes.’ Levi whispered just below his ears, in no way sensual, the exhaustion in both of them making any waking moments fleeting. He simply wanted the privacy to be able to open up; he was still unusually scared of servant’s gossip. Unnaturally so.

Erwin nodded and took Levi’s hand, leading him down the winding corridors and up two flights of stairs to their large bedroom. Erwin’s own private bedroom resided in the left-most tower, where he used to spend his days and nights mulling over letters and trivial matters and although he’d kept the room, he preferred this one. Not only was it larger, and grander at that, but it felt even more private than the last. Even if he was sharing. Even if it resided in the centre of the castle.

Levi, for all his faults and mannerisms, had the capability to make Erwin feel alone in his presence. In no way wrong, they both respected each other’s needs for privacy as well as the wish to be together, the silence between them strong but comforting, allowing them to dwell in their own thoughts.

Passing through the large oak door, both of them- without a word to each other- began their nightly routine. Erwin stripped himself of his stained clothes, Levi quickly picking them and throwing them in the basket, reading to be taken to be washed by him later on. Levi still refused to let the servant’s clean their clothes and still helped them in cleaning the castle- he would have taken the task all for himself if the castle were not so huge. The job would take him days and by the time he had finished, the place he had started in would already be in a dire state, at least according to his standards.

With only his tunic and trousers left, Erwin fell into bed, his back resting against the headboard of the bed as he watched Levi tidy up after them, quickly running a broom over the floor to brush away the flakes of mud from the pristine wood. 

When he finally joined him, it was still in silence, their wordless conversation telling each other far more than any words ever could. Levi saw the flash of pain in Erwin’s eyes and from what he’d already read in the letter, he could see the guilt fester behind the icy blue. 

Erwin’s eyes dropped closed, Levi’s body flush against his, listening to the beat of his heart like it was music, the regular rhythm a comfort after days of Erwin being away, fighting for his life. Levi looked up, pressing his palm against Erwin’s cheek, gaining his attention, watching his eyes flutter open- his body still stuck in a hypnogogic state. 

With just a gaze, Erwin could hear Levi’s words as clear as day. But, blame gathered nonetheless, sending his stomach rolling nauseatingly. Erwin couldn’t save everyone but with his teams one of the only one's left whole, he felt the guilt that had been tailing him finally catch up.

‘I’m fine.’ He muttered, his words slurred with sleep. Levi shook his head, words never his forte, moving his hand down to Erwin’s shoulder. Levi showed comfort in actions, not words.

‘I am, just give me a night. You know how it is.’ Levi nodded, he understood. He had been a soldier too. Had been. Levi kept his gaze, his eyebrows folding inwards, his eyes glistening questioningly. 

‘I don’t want to talk about it now. Tomorrow.’ Levi nodded again, his lips still in the consistent frown, never opening. With Erwin, there was no need to. He was an open book. Trust was what they relied on. It had taken them years to realise it but words never got them anywhere. Levi was too dumb with them whilst Erwin too clever. So, a new system was introduced.

They both fell asleep with ease, slowly making their way downwards until their heads rested against the same pillow, Erwin’s arm draped lazily over Levi’s crowded body, to be lost somewhere in the night, only their toes brushing under the covers.

The morning rose with a dreadful cry of a bird, Levi groaning at the incessant squeaking. Peering through the edge of the curtained window, he saw a crow just outside, it’s black beak opening with a painful cry. Erwin, much to Levi’s own envy, remained asleep, gentle snores filling the silence of the room whilst his tousled, blonde hair flooded the pillow.

Levi, his insomnia as bad as ever- thankful that he had not woken for a nightmare this time- placed his feet on the floor, flinching at the icy touch, and made his way to the large window, pushing himself onto the other side of it, quickly closing it behind him as to not wake Erwin with the early sunrise. 

Alone with the heavy cloth of the curtain itching at his back, Levi stared at the crows dark gaze. A warning sign, his mother had always said. A warning that something bad was coming. Maybe to you, maybe to someone close to you. Levi resisted the urge to glance back at Erwin and wake him up, his heart pumping with unfamiliar dread. No fear made it to his face, only the slight widening of his eyes any indication of Levi’s emotions. 

Tapping at the window aggressively, the bird fluttered away in fright, Levi glad to still hear Erwin’s gentle snores. After the weeks of no sleep he’d undoubtedly had, Levi wanted to let him sleep until after dawn. 

He remained on the other side of the curtain, staring down at the gardens of the castle, the large, overgrown plants in need of care. The urge to do something bit at him but he remained planted on the ground, letting the sunlight caress his skin as it peered over the hazy, blue horizon. 

Levi, for the first time in a while, let himself feel at peace, wallowing in the relative silence as the sunlight danced playfully across his skin. 

It was only when Erwin’s snores turned into painful groans that Levi let himself push himself out of stupor and return to the darkness of his room, stumbling as his eyes adjusted. ‘How long have you been up?’ Erwin asked, trying to straighten his mussed hair, watching Levi cross the room and return to his side.

Levi shrugged: not long. Erwin nodded understandingly and placed an arm around his shoulder and pulling him close, relishing in the closeness they had been deprived of.

Levi looked up at him, just as he had the night before, with a question in his eyes. Erwin sighed, the heavy noise filling the void silence. ‘Levi, I’m not sure whether we should even-‘ Levi raised an eyebrow. ‘Sorry, I don’t expect you to forget what I wrote.’

‘What the fuck happened out there, Erwin?’ Levi whispered into the emptiness of the room, his eyes drifting around the grandeur of their furniture- still finding it surprising that this was all, well, his. 

‘I wrote it down.’

‘That’s not the fucking same.’

‘Fine.’ Erwin sighed, shutting his eyes slowly before peeling them open and staring at the ceiling like he was in prayer. ‘The battle was won, from what I saw about half our army dead. Maybe more, maybe less. We were on our way back, exhausted but I couldn’t sleep. I never can out there.’ Levi nodded again, empathising with the feeling of no control as he failed to succumb to sleep. ‘Neither could Mike, we went into the woods and-‘ Erwin continued the story until the very end where the hooves of his horse clattered outside their castle, Levi still wrapped warmly in his arms.

‘And you still don’t fucking believe?’ Levi asked disbelievingly. 

‘Believe what?’

‘In God, in the supernatural. Any of it? Some higher power out there.’

‘I still find the idea impossible.’ Erwin stated honestly, logically, ignoring the insistent nagging in his brain that that was no longer entirely true.

‘I can’t deny you your shitty rationality but after all that, is there not even...’ Levi trailed off, tongue-tied and vulnerable. He hated words but found that there were no actions to portray his words.

‘I admit, I’m confounded but that does not change my belief. I have faith just as you have faith in a higher power. It’s no different.’ Levi nodded, trying to understand it but never quite wrapping his head around it. Levi, having grown up outside the hierarchy of Lords and their castles, wasn’t a believer in God. And in a land like this, that was a dangerous belief but he could not deny that he found the pagan beliefs much more poignant. Or, most specifically, the legend of Hecate.   
Erwin laughed sometimes when he told this story. He said he’d met a woman called Hecate once. The first time Levi had heard that he’d been tempted to pry but Erwin was a solid wall. The man was nothing if not stubborn.

‘What about Nile?’ Levi scowled at the name on his lips but found the question unable to remain veiled.

‘King Nile.’

‘Fuck you, you know what I mean.’

Erwin chuckled. ‘Yes, I do.’

‘So...’

‘So, what?’

‘Nile. King Nile.’ The word king felt like a stain on his red lips, spitting like his name was poison. 

‘What about him?’

‘You were promised to become king. Nile’s king.’

‘So?’ Levi knew Erwin was taunting him, or evading him, the same outcome either way.

‘He’s in the way.’

‘Of what?’ Now he simply being facetious.

‘The throne. Nile has to go. You deserve that throne.’ Levi sat up, drawing himself out of Erwin’s arms, spitting with anger contorting his face.

‘I am not a king, Levi. I am heir to no one.’ 

‘But that’s exactly the fucking point!’ Levi threw his arms up in the air, failing to keep his calm. ‘You aren’t a snobby shit-head who doesn’t know fuck-all. You’re you. You could be fair. You could help people. There are people dying out there and Nile doesn’t give a single shit! He treats me like dirt and we know it’s just because he doesn’t like where I came from. He treats his people like shit unless he believes they are rich enough to deserve his respect.’ He paused for breath. The words like fire, burning his normally mute tongue. ‘I’ve thought this through. Marie and Hitch, they’ll be scared. They’ll flee to Ireland, I can persuade them if they’re stubborn, you know Marie. Nile’s close by, we invite him here. You now hold the highest title in England besides the king himself, you’ll be the first option for the throne.’ Levi stated it like it was obvious but Erwin could barely mask his disgust.

‘Send his wife and child to Ireland just so I can take the throne? That makes us no better.’  
‘This isn’t the time for morals. Nile’s destroyed this country, his father was barely any better. This is our chance. One bad deed will be fixed by the good.’ Levi’s low voice was like a growl, fierce and warning.

‘I won’t Levi. Nile is my friend. And Marie is a friend of us both.’

‘Then that makes you no better than him.’ Levi spat, throwing himself from the bed and onto the floor, scouring for any sign of decent clothing before fleeing the room, slamming the door behind him. In the meantime, Erwin watched him, his eyes solemn and dark, noticing the absent cleaning supplies. At least that meant that Levi would remain here. If Levi were to flee like the villages like he often did when his temper broke, Erwin would never be able to find him.

Erwin let him be for an hour, slowly getting ready, ordering one of the servants to run a bath, generously placing a few coins in their hand and giving them the day off. He felt riddled with guilt, dirtied by Levi’s words. Erwin was so conflicted that he could barely grasp a coherent thought. Ideas tumbled down and added the festering pile of junk in his mind, only one thing glimmering throughout it all. Guilt, guilt, guilt. Always guilt. Erwin thought he’d grown past it by now. He had been so paranoid when he was younger, always taking the blame for others mistakes, so wary of others because their mistakes were his.

He’d been empathetic to a fault.

So he’d built walls, so tight that even he couldn’t escape. He became he the man he was now. Emotionally silent.

Absconding the room, uncaring of the unmade bed that he’d left behind him- ignorant of the thing that would leave yet another nuisance on the pile crushing over their relationship. ‘Levi?’ He called out, as if it would ever be simple but when he obtained no answer, it didn’t take long to follow the clean trails of the floor until he found Levi scrubbing at the glistening window with fervour. 

Levi shook his head: I don’t want to talk. But, Erwin ignored him, approaching him with a steady gait, exuding false confidence. ‘Sorry, Levi. I do not mean to be a coward.’

Levi nodded: I know.

‘But I can’t go through with this. Whether I’m a coward or not. Those three women could have been lying or we simply have to wait, it will come in time.’ Levi turned, his scowl gentle but confused. ‘Don’t let someone else lead your life.’

‘I’m not. But I don’t have it in me to kill a friend.’ 

Levi nodded again: I understand. ‘Truce, for now?’ Levi nodded, throwing the wet rag onto the floor and facing Erwin. Even with no words, the sincerity in his eyes told Erwin that he was forgiven. For now.

‘If you want to talk, I’ll be in the parlour.’ Erwin gave him his space, or just the time to finish his cleaning routine- at least until he’d let the last sparks of his anger out- and walked down to the parlour with a controlled tempo, reaching it only a few minutes before Levi did. 

Erwin, sitting relaxed on the wooden chair in the corner of the room, read his book distractedly, peering at Levi out of the corner of his eyes. Levi rolled his eyes, it was the best he could do: I’m sorry for losing my temper.

They both fell into a comfortable silence, Levi pulling up a stool to sit next to Erwin, peering over his arm to read sections of the book, which made no logical sense. Levi couldn’t help but scoff at the long words and the pointless message of what he’d made out to be a book about the myths of the sea-women- mermaids, were they called? Levi gave Erwin a pointed stare: for someone who doesn’t believe, you sure like to read mythical books. Erwin only shrugged.There was a knock on the door only when the sun was beginning to slip away from view, hidden by the bland walls of the castle as they were led into the afternoon. 

‘Come in.’ Erwin called, placing his book on the table and straightening up, Levi following suit.

His messenger opened the door, scrambling and panting, a letter in his hands- or rather a slip of paper, looking torn. ‘The king will be here tonight. He told me to inform you as quickly as possible.’ Erwin nodded, a flicker of uncertainty passing over him and dismissed the messenger quickly, relaxing into the chair as soon as the door closed behind him.

Levi looked at Erwin, a single glimpse of hope in his eyes: this is our chance. Erwin shook his head but Levi was constant, his gaze unwavering. It was like a spell when Erwin found himself considering Levi’s words. The setup seemed so effortless; it was as if it was meant to happen. Maybe, just maybe this was what the three women had meant.

He returned Levi’s gaze, worry furrowing his eyebrows whilst a gentle smirk took over Levi’s face: the plan was being set into motion.  


End file.
